Uncontrolled Variable
by itsanonymous
Summary: Training with him before the massacre was her choice. Leaving without an explanation was his. But because fate had a sense of humor, Itachi and Sakura find themselves thrown together years later. ItaSaku. [Being edited again]
1. Trouble

_Chapter One: Trouble__  
_

* * *

He knew his first reaction should've been to reach for the kunai under his pillow. How at east he felt with having someone else in his home was almost frightening, considering the fact that he lived alone. But laying on his back, half-awake, with his blanket tangled at his feet was his preferred option. And with the way the smell crept through the vents, the worst his intruder could do was feed him into a food coma.

Besides, it was too early to be awake.

How she managed to feed herself and come over to cook for him before eight was something he appreciated and regretted all at once. He convinced her once that he could take care of himself, but when she left him alone for a week and came back to canned tomato soup filling his trashcan, she hadn't allowed him a day of solitude since.

He never heard her complain about it. Not about being exhausted or fed up, or anything of the sort. The sooner he learned to cook, the sooner she could get back to her own life and care for herself instead of his sorry ass, he knew. But that didn't seem to be possible with his training schedule, and she'd known that from day one. There were times when he tried, promising himself that he would wake-up and make breakfast, pack a lunch, then come home and make dinner. But breakfast was cereal, lunch was a sandwich, and coming home he would go straight to bed.

After a while he stopped trying and the results of it four years later was having Sakura in his kitchen a bit past eight, cooking him breakfast and packing him lunch. His only option was to "properly" learn to take care of himself or marry her. And since their relationship wasn't anything close to being romantic, the former would have to do.

Managing that was another story.

Getting down on his knees a couple years from now and asking her if she'd marry him was much more convenient. Although, whether she would say yes was something else he hadn't let his mind wonder far enough into. It was preposterous and realistic all at once.

When his hunger finally got the best of him, he rolled himself out of bed and proceeded to kitchen. What should've only been a feminine laughter—about who knows what—was accompanied by an obnoxious voice that quickened his pace. Sasuke growled as he threw open the door, finding Sakura at the stove with Naruto at his table, in his house, without his permission.

"What are _you _doing here?" Sasuke growled, glaring at the grinning blonde who was enjoying the intrusion all too much for his liking.

In return for his outburst, he received a pout and silence from the only other character in the room. And taking her lack of words as a warning, he sat down at the table wordlessly, still glaring at the so-called "guest" in front of him.

Ridiculous. If she wanted to have such an idiot over for breakfast, then there was already that unspoken promise that she was responsible for anything and everything he broke.

"Tell me, teme." Naruto began, his arms crossed over his chest as he returned the glare. "How does a prick like you get someone like Sakura to cook for your every morning?"

Now, wasn't Sasuke just asking himself the same thing two minutes ago.

"Because cooking for a prick like me is better than cooking for an idiot like you, dobe."

"Bastard."

"Jackass."

"Fu—"

"If you two don't shut the hell up, you're both gonna find the breakfast I just cooked you in a very, very uncomfortable place." Her voice wasn't that much louder than theirs, but the stern undertone made it impossible to miss. Instantly the bickering at the table overcame with the silence that should accompany every early morning, and she hummed appreciatively at her ability to silence the boys with a simple threat .

Effortlessly carrying the two plates in front of her to the low table, she sent another warning glare before setting the meal down in front of her teammate who were all too easily distracted by food. Then again, she'd react the same way if she went a night without dinner or lived on a ramen-diet alone. The sizzling hot bacon along side the eggs and toast smelled heavenly; if she hadn't already had breakfast herself, she'd be drooling as well.

Maybe she spoiled these two too much.

_Alright, next time we'll have grapefruits. _She mused, inwardly laughing at the face they would give her if she deprived them off their meat and alternatives. _Well, they aren't gonna like lunch then. _

Bracing herself on her hands, she leaned back to watch her two polar-opposite teammate enjoy themselves in her cooking. These were one of the many times that Team Seven was at peace—but maybe saying "peace" was too far of a stretch. For all she knew, they could so subtly be competing in an eating competition with one another or planning each other's deaths. So, to rephrase that, these are the rare moments that Team Seven wasn't at each other's throats with curses, kunais, and threats.

"Kakashi-sensei said to meet him at the Hokage's office around nine." She said, swinging her high-tied pink locks from one side to the other and releasing the strain her large mass of hair had on her delicate neck. "So you two better hurry, especially you Sasuke-kun."

"Hn."

Ever so slightly twitching at his ever famous one word reply, the sinister smile that spread across her face cause the youngest Uchiha to pause in another forkfull of bacon and regard her warily. Then, in irritably amused voice, she insulted him. And as fast as the devious look was there, it disappeared in the second her glowing smile surfaced on her oh-so-innocent features.

Excusing herself, she muttered something about dishes and tidying up the house before they left, leaving Sasuke at the table to deal with a Naruto who was still trying to recover from snorting a spoon of egg yolk up his nose in a fit of laughter.

"You know how long it takes for you to gel your hair to look like a chicken's ass." She told him, casually.

Indeed it was about time to learn to cook for himself and spare his pride.

* * *

There had been times when Sakura agreed with Sasuke that Naruto complained way too much. That sometimes how open he was with his thoughts and feelings borderlined annoying, and it was well suited that he kept it to himself instead of sharing it with people who simply didn't care.

But this wasn't one of those times.

Week after weeks of being stuck on D-rank missions, a voice in the back of her mind taunted her with the idea of not taking on anything _relevant _to shinobi work by the time she was seventy if they kept up the snail pace. With the way things were going, she wasn't sure if they actually acquired any more skills since the day they graduated from the academy. To be fair, any civilian could complete the so-called "missions" they were given.

Mind you, the system in which missions were categorized and distributed at was nothing short of her knowledge. The pace they were travelling at was absurd.

From listening to the Hokage lecture Naruto and the said Naruto going out of his way to ignore him, she did her best not to sigh and roll her eyes, and at the same time, not join in in raising hell. If she had to hunt down that cat one more time, she'd give them a mission that required Team Seven protecting the cat—or Fire Lord's wife—from her.

"If you want it that bad, I'll give you a C-rank mission." The Hokage finally agreed, satisfying Naruto and unknowing sparing the lives of a cat and its owner. After that it was anyone's guess as to who cheered louder: the persistent blond who was still sitting on the floor, or the pink-haired girl who had both of her fist pumped in the air.

The quick briefing of the man they were to protect was as brief as it could be. His name, his occupation, and what he needed from them. Protection from common thieves and robbers—with the exception of Naruto who was the butt of his joke—but nothing more exciting than that. And if she were honest, she wasn't sure if even the most common of thieves would give him the time of day considering the way he dressed and, er, smelled.

"And Haruno Sakura."

The room fell silent, not missing the way the Hokage's tone was no longer as light as it had been when speaking to Naruto. It was heavier. Darker even. And turning to him hesitantly, she registered the way his eyes narrowed half a fraction and his gaze intensified. Like she was about to do something he didn't want to miss, and if he didn't watch her carefully enough, she might slip out from under his nose.

"Come see me once you return."

Her mouth opened and closed, prepared to ask what for, but decided against it before sound came out. The way they stared at each other built a tension so thick it was almost hard to breathe—a part of it may also be the hot and dry weather.

Tilting herself to allow Kakashi a view of her face, he saw the way her brows bunched together in confusion, a small pout on her lips. That face was enough to emit her confused and disapproving message, like she understood, yet she didn't, and hoped he would explain to her just what the hell was going on.

A shrug was all he could give her in the end, and bunching her brows even more and making her small pout not so small anymore, she turned back to the Hokage and hoped that maybe he would provide her the explanation she was looking for without having to ask for it.

Honestly, she could be so much like Naruto sometimes—on a quieter, smaller scale that is—Kakasku mused. The way they both cheered when they received a higher ranking mission, and almost ignored the fact that they were speaking to a highly regarded man, made them all the more similar. Brave wasn't his exact choice of word, but fearless did cut it. Sakura was looking at the Hokage like he owed it to her to give her an explanation, while Naruto outright demanded the Hokage give him what he wanted.

"Rest assured that you aren't in trouble, Sakura." The Hokage gave, earning a nod before she turned to leave—all while muttering something about how that's what they all say before she's given the lecture of a lifetime.

Following after her teammates silently, and completely disregarding the bullshit soothing words of the Hokage, Sakura racked her brain for anything that would've put her in the position she was currently in. There was the possibility that the Hokage heard the threats Sakura mentally made towards Sasuke and the Fire Lord's wife, but surely even he understood that they were all half-hearted and in the heat of the moment. It wasn't enough for him to call her out for a meeting when he could've dealt with her then and there.

Completely wrapped up in her train of thoughts, and consistently replaying the possible scenarios of her doom, her mind couldn't register anything else but the way the heat beat down on her head, neck, and shoulders. The passing of the Konoha gates and the bickering of Naruto and the bridge builder was nothing but a blur of events. Her brain only began functioning again when she spotted something wet and blue on the side of the road.

Almost instantly emeralds met coal. Behind emeralds held the question 'Did you notice it?'and coal read it perfectly before Kakashi turned his head away and pretended nothing was out of the ordinary. He wasn't even sure what he was bogusly referring to with the statement that nothing was out of the ordinary: The fact that there was a puddle a few feet behind them when it has been nothing but sun for the last week or the fact that Sakura noticed it too.

The rattling of chains was loud enough to catch the attention of the oblivious three who walked ahead. It was a horrifying sight to turn to, and the way the metal spikes danced with the bodies of their sensei and team-mate sent a wave of fear through their's.

At the speed which the attack came at, Sakura had only half-expected it. Nevertheless she did her best to suppress the smirk that had been itching to make an appearance on her face and feign fear, making sure not to give away her position as a defenseless genin.

Unknown to her, Kakashi's feelings weren't mutual.

_Dammit!_ Kakashi thought angrily, inching his face to turn to look over at Sakura who had been standing a metre too close to him. If the attack came at him alone, he could've easily escaped, but Sakura was too close, and pushing her away wasn't an option.

To reveal the knowledge one possessed during the procedure of information extraction was a deadly act. Acting dense until the rightful information was gathered was his preferred route.

"Two down."

Kakashi's hand twitched to grab her quickly as the brothers went for the final blow. Their bodies tore into pieces, leaving the rest of the team in horror.

Naruto's muscles' refusal to respond would've ended him had Sasuke not step in when he did—though relief was no where close. Their existence would be ceased within moments. The two brothers had killed Kakashi and Sakura like they were nothing but wild animals, so there was no way Sasuke and him alone would be able to handle the two. A jounin, who single handedly while reading a book kicked their asses during training, fell in the hands of the two. Two genins and a bridge builder didn't stand a chance.

It was like the air was taken from him completely. Oxygen didn't process through his lungs and his chest gained twenty pounds alone. His death was now uncertain: would he die from being slaughtered by the two attackers or would he suffocate in his own fear?

_It's not suppose to end like this!_

"Idiot..." A sigh came from within the trees, inaudible to the ears that only heard the clashing a metal and skin. The other party would agree, though they were positioned in a different location among the leaves.

Both of them were still alive, to their surprises. Kakashi hadn't grabbed her like he planned, wasn't even given the chance, since upon his reach for her at the last second before his substitution, her only touched wood. A millisecond later and Sakura may have been the only survivor to the attack they both knew were coming, instead of the many tiny scratches he now wore.

With the way things were going, their involvement was needed. Both had agreed without the realization of their harmonizing and now the planning of when took its toll. Sakura would go for Sasuke, he was the closest. Kakashi would go for either, he felt, having no sense of where Sakura had disappeared to or no feel that she was reliable in this kind of battle—she may simply be hiding for all he knew.

One swiftly moved passed the frozen Naruto, admitting the perfect aim that would surely end the old man's life. Sasuke's body moved within the moment, standing guard in front of him like the good little shinobi he believed he was. His death was accounted for, but Sakura begged to differ.

Accompanying her movements were the rustling of branches and leaves. The heel of a chakra saturated foot crushed down on the skull of the individual, his pain audible as he landed face first. The leaves rustled along side the sound of his protest and squirming. His difficulty in composing himself couldn't be due to the weight of Sakura's body, no, she was too small. She stood quietly above him, eyes filled with antipathy as chakra forced his body down. It was a small _thump_ that ceased his movements, the small connection of her heel to his neck.

Sasuke released a breath of relief and dropped his arms. He didn't know what he would have done next if Sakura hadn't appeared, he didn't have a plan formed what so ever. The impulse and avenger in him led him to face them both head on without a thought and he would've just stood there and taken the hit. He looked behind him to where she was originally—supposedly—killed to see shredded logs. If they had taken the time to watch the whole thing then all of them would've known that they had replaced themselves in the end.

Kakashi materialized behind her seconds after, the other brother unconscious in a headlock, although he looked to be more torn up than Sakura was.

It would be an understatement to say that Kakashi was surprised by the skills of the supposed Genin. Her fast acting had not only saved the life of their client, but her team-mate as well—on top of almost offing her sensei who had been too stunned to move. And as soon as his awe was there it was gone, replaced with silent amusement as he watched her march up and shake Sasuke by the collar for being so reckless while threatening that he'll wish the brother had killed him once she was through with him—only to have him retort that she didn't just watch him tear into pieces by the spiked chains, that is.

So maybe she was going back on her wish for a stronger mission, but it wasn't herself whom she was regretting it for. The mission would go just fine—as long as she refrained from harming the client—but the lives of Naruto and Sasuke were still at stake. Yes, the client was the ultimate target of these attacks, but a jump from cat chasing to fighting off high-leveled shinobis wasn't exactly what she was hoping for—even if she was complaining about thieves and gangs earlier. Not only did they have to protect the old man, but Sasuke and Naruto as well.

Something told her it was easier to protect a man cowering in fear than teammates who ran ass first into battles.

* * *

_To all of my readers who have been with me since I started this story, I have to say I am terribly sorry for turning around and editing the crap out it again._

_All criticism is appreciated. _

_I don't own Naruto. Never have. Never will._

_**xoxo**_


	2. The Last To Know

_Chapter Two: The Last To Know_

* * *

The only thing amusing about all of this was the way Tazuna trolled them all with carrying out the mission, even though it rose to B-rank and at a C-rank fee. In a twisted kind of way, it was funny the way he went about it, but she wasn't laughing at how it was them who still had to carry it out when Sasuke almost died from having his guts ripped out and Naruto from poison.

Those were some of the things Kakashi and Sakura could agree on.

They were in over their heads with this mission. Genins, carrying out a B-rank (chuunin/jounin) level mission, laughable. But who was she to judge others base on trivial things such as ranks? Well, looking at their last performance, she'd say she had all the rights to do so. At least with chuunins the shinobi was only a rank higher than most of them, but no doubt the next one would be a jounin, and if they couldn't handle a chuunin, they can kiss their hinds goodbye when the next guy arrived.

Or right now when Sasuke and Naruto missed another obvious trap.

During the spring and summer, rabbits faded from their white fur and transition to brown. Any wild rabbit in the right genetic coding had no possibility of being white. It was a house rabbit, leaving no doubt in Sakura's mind that the chakra she's been sensing for the last little while belonged to the next enemy.

Kakashi's head rose slightly at the movement. Her head still fully faced the rabbit, but the green in her eye had moved over in his direction, sending him the message that she knew as he did. Having too much faith in her could come to bite him in the ass in the near future, but if she was as sharp as she was with the last attack, he could only hope that she would act just as fast.

His eyes remained locked with hers as he cocked his head towards Tazuna. Her eyes remains on his face far longer than he felt comfortable for and she only turned away to look back at the rabbit. Small fingers rested on the back of her neck and her head moved to look up and back down before rolling her shoulders. Sasuke thought she had a neck problem. Kakashi knew she understood.

"Everyone, get down!" Kakashi shouted and in a flash of pink her body lunged forward to take Tazuna to the ground with her. The blade of the sword danced with the few end strands of her hair and her body composed quickly into a sitting position to examine the damage. In result it hadn't made a difference, far from it to say the least. The change was unnoticeable and she wouldn't have noticed if she hadn't felt the small tug or seen the little specks on pink on the ground.

"Well well well, if it isn't the Hidden Mist's missing-nin Momochi Zabuza-san." Kakashi's voice was calm and smooth as he turned his gaze from the angry, little konoichi to the missing-nin who used his sword as a platform. "Everyone, get back, this one's a whole other level."

Never breaking eye contact, his arm rose to restrain an ever reckless Naruto from volunteering to be the first one to die. And it looked as though Sakura would be next.

"You appear to be Sharingan Kakashi, but sorry, the old man is mine."

_Sharingan?_ Sakura and Sasuke harmonized, their head snapping upwards to look at each other before staring up at the infamous man who was their sensei. Did they hear right? Hatake Kakashi was a Sharigan wielder?

He wasn't a Uchiha, they were certain, even if he changed his last name and dyed his hair silver, there was no chance he was a Uchiha—Itachi would've made sure of it. Also, if he was then Sasuke would have known. But Sasuke had never heard of Kakashi until he became their sensei, and he sure as hell didn't know he had the Sharingan until now.

The thought of the existence of another Uchiha constricted the muscles in his body, but bitterly he knew that he was the sole survivor to his brother's vile doings. Nevertheless, he stared at Kakashi's back intently, as if a story was written on him, and if he stared long enough, the answers would begin to show. How could someone who was not an Uchiha have the Sharingan?

This Zabuza must be bluffing, or Kakashi psyched him out to scare him

"Surround and protect Tazuna-san. Don't enter the fight, that's teamwork here." Kakashi stated, still holding his forehead protector like he was minutes ago. The statement sidetracked two thirds of his team to a great amount. It was expected. Sasuke's reaction at least, but Sakura was something else. "Zabuza-san, first, fight me."

He glanced towards Sasuke whose eyes widen at the presentation of his three tamoe Sharigan. Of course the thing would send the youngsters nerves on fire, no doubt the last time he saw this thing it was wield by the man he hated the most. He wasn't feeling so hot after sweeping at glance at Sakura's face. Her expression held nothing but worry as large green eyes glanced back and forth between him and Sasuke. Then, all at once her face bunched into a pout and she glared at him, as if saying "Just get it over with already."

"Ah, I'll already get to see the famous Sharingan. I'm honored." His ears had barely caught that, being preoccupied with the fiery look that said "I'm gonna fucking kill you" from a pink-haired, green-eyed, hot-heated teenage girl who proved to be able to act beyond her given rank did that to a person.

"Sharingan! Sharingan! What the hell is that?" Naruto hollered, looking back and forth from Sasuke to Sakura who knew something he never heard of. Had he missed this lesson in class or was it something everyone knew, but he didn't? Kakashi knew for sure that Naruto wouldn't know what it was. The idiot was attracting attention to himself though, and for once, Sakura didn't care enough to shut him up.

"Sharingan…" Sasuke began, his voice coated with the bitterness and pain in his heart that Sakura could never touch or purify. "It is said that some have the ability in their eye to read and defeat all types of Gen, Tai, and Nin-jutsus. The Sharingan is one of the types of pupil that give you power. But that's not the only ability the Sharingan has."

"Kuku, exactly. What's even scarier is that you can copy your opponent's technique once you see it. When I was part of the Hidden Mist's assassin team, I kept a handbook and it included you. Said that the man who has copied over a thousand jutsus is Copy Ninja Kakashi." Zabuza paused momentarily, squatting down and gripping the handle of his over-size sword. "Now, let's stop all the talking. I have to kill that old man!"

"Hidden Mist Jutsu" was all it took for his body to disappear.

* * *

"He'll come after me first." The rumble of Kakashi's voice sent a jolt through the bodies of each member. "As a member of the Hidden Mist, he's an expert on silent killing. You don't even notice until you're dead. It's not like I can use the Sharingan perfectly. You guys, be careful."

That didn't make the situation any better.

"Eight choices:" The voice echoed through the blindfold of white. It's tone low, raspy, and dark. "Liver, lung..."

The sensation prickled his skin, teasing him modestly. Its hand engulfed his windpipe, slowly squeezing while the other knocked at his brain. The clashing of two ninjas were all too familiar to Sasuke and the fusing of their chakra haltingly pushed him to insanity. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't move. He couldn't even see. He was too opened for death he refused to welcome. If he felt this way, he was sure Naruto was ballistic while Sakura—God, he didn't know.

And he couldn't have been more correct. Naruto refused to move from his spot. One step and he could be completely lost. He didn't know if the old man was behind him or if Sakura remained to his right. Uncertainty, he didn't like it, he had nothing to believe in. This was nothing like the shinobi life he conjured up in his mind. It was suppose to be him charging into the battle and slashing this guy in half, then he would come out victorious with Kakashi praising him, Sakura showering him with kisses, while Sasuke went about and sulked in a squirrel's nest.

The panic that erupted within the three was put to ease by the warmth of Kakashi's chakra dancing with the mist. "Sasuke-kun, don't worry." He said, a crinkle in his eye as he glanced back at the traumatized boy. "I'll protect you guys even if my life depended on it, I don't let my comrades die."

Every sense Sakura possessed went on red-alert. Her unconsciousness to Sasuke could've costed him his life and if anything were to happen to the clan survivor then...

Briskly, her eyes flickered back and forth, scanning the area before gingerly following Zabuza's form as he jumped from no where and separated her from Tazuna with his body. The twisting of her body and the retrieval of her weapon was the farthest Kakashi allowed it to get. His intervention sent them in different directions while his own weapon took its part within Zabuza's body. A glare of warning presented itself in his eyes as he flickered the look towards Sakura, and in return, her eyes widen for a brief second before his body was slashed in two and left to liquefy on the ground.

"Don't move." A cool, misted kunai grazed Zabuza's neck in warning. "It's over."

"It's over? You don't get it, there is no way you can defeat me with your imitations. But that was impressive of you to have already copy my water clone jutsu and have your clone say those touching words. You attracted my attention and hid in the mist and watched. But…I'm also not that easy."

In his fading words, said man dripped into a puddle while—from what they can assume—the real one appeared from behind. Ducking quickly to avoid a fatal blow to the neck and losing his offense pose, Kakashi was left wide open for a kick to the gut.

"Water prison jutsu!"

And just like that he was out of commission. Just like that another water clone appear, and just like that Naruto was thrown twenty feet back. From where she was standing, she knew they were in no real danger as of yet, but how long Zabuza would hold out from killing them was something she didn't want to test her luck with. The only problem here was that they had to somehow get Kakashi out of that water prison. If Kakashi was noble enough to promise to not let them die, the least they could do was attempt to do the same, in spite of his protest.

"You guys! Take Tazuna-san and run away. You have no chance in beating him! As long as he's keeping me trapped in this prison he can't move and his clone can't go too far from his real body. Just run away now!" Kakashi instantly looked his trusted student, who he knew was too occupied with her mind to have heard a single word his said.

Tilting her head slightly, her eyes narrow noticeably with irritation. The girl, he presumed, didn't have a hint of fear in her body. She was irritated with him instead—in a situation such as this. She was irritated when she was _this_ close to dying; her team was _this close_ to dying. Their life was hanging by a thread and she was could only feel irritated with him for allowing himself to get caught.

It looked like she sighed at him in disappointment and then she turned her head to watch the impulsive movements of her teammate as he charged at Zabuza. Anger shook Kakashi's body. He depended on her to take charge if situations such as these unfolded. Words were never exchange in their deal but he knew she understood it—it was an agreement established by the eye-contact and head cocking earlier.

He watched her face warmed into a smile as Naruto's body flew close to her with his forehead protector in hand. And then finally turning back to him, she mouthed something along the lines of "what the fuck is wrong with you?"

Unbelievable.

The number of times Naruto had shoved his dreams down their throats was something they all lost track of after the second day of knowing him. However, it never ceased to send that jolt of hope and excitement through them and they definitely needed that now.

"Don't worry about the fake one, I'll take care of him."

Her voice was a little too playful for any of their likings, but she clearly didn't show the same fear that they all had. Their plan had already included the fake one, but for whatever reason, she still felt the need to get involved when it wasn't necessary. Nearly frantic, Sasuke reached out to hold her back from committing the closest thing to suicide. And when turned around with her own glare, she was met with his.

"Don't be stupid, you'll get yourself killed." He hissed, his grip tightening when he felt the muscle in her arm flex. "Our plan already deals with him, just stay back and guard Tazuna."

"Awh, Sasu-kun. It's so cute that you worry about me." Plastering on a pout, her free hand rose up to pull him by the cheeks. "But your worrying is out of line, I'll be fine. Just get Kaka-sensei out alive, okay?"

Catching him off guard for a second, she yanked her hand free and headed straight for the clone that stood between them and their sensei. Before the cry could leave Sasuke's lips, or the command to stop could leave Kakashi's, she had already dodged two of the clones attack and implanted a kunai through its head. As result, she landed in a crotch within the only evidence that proved of the water clones existence and smirked over her shoulders to her teammates.

Watching her drip head to toe in the remains of the clone, a triumphant expression on her face "Go wild, boys" was all they needed to hear.

* * *

The last week was as exciting as tree climbing could get. Aside from getting an earful from Sasuke about how running at the clone as she had was one of the stupidest, Naruto-like things he had ever had the displeasure of witnessing, the rest was a little peaceful...and boring. There still was the idea that Zabuza was still alive, but the image of having two needles piercing his throat to save him wasn't what Sakura kept on seeing. It was the way the "hunter-nin" had turned his head to look at her for a moment longer than he needed to, then disappeared.

In the all the glory, confusion, and excitement of defeating Zabuza, she couldn't even depend on Kakashi to have caught the awkward exchange of glances. So maybe the fact that Zabuza was alive was actually getting to her, and that look, as she had saw it, was decoded by her mind as a warning that the next time they met, she would be the hunter-nin's target. It was a little thrilling, the more she thought about a decent battle. However, when they did come face to face with the not-so-dead man and his deceptive sidekick on the almost completed bridge, said sidekick looked a little hesitant to follow Zabuza's orders.

"Don't tell me you've grown soft on me at a time like this, kid." The swordsman scowled, growing frustrated with the way Haku stalled in attacking.

For a while Haku said nothing, and just stared in their general direction. In the silence that engulfed them, there was nothing but the waves that rocked against the unfinished bridge and the wind that occasionally breezed through. There were many openings in which they could've attacked, but testing their luck when it seemed like one member from the other party wanted to withdraw was a gamble they were willing to take at the moment. If all went well, they would withdraw.

"She..." They hardly made out the word the vibrated through the white mask, and after it because clear what he said, all heads snapped in Sakura's direction. The pinkette remained unfazed by the sudden attention and merely frown and cocked an eyebrow in confusion.

"You know this guy, Sakura?" Sasuke grunted, earning a snort from his childhood friend.

"Oh ya, he must be a guy from one of the nights I couldn't remember." Sarcasm dripped from her words, but before the massacre survivor could get a word out about how it wasn't appreciated, she quickly snapped. "Of course I don't know him! What the hell do you think?"

And went on to mutter about how he could be as dense as Naruto sometimes.

_Speaking of the devil._

As the unsubtle insults left her lips, their attention was taken by crackling of fireworks. Some part of her was grateful that Naruto had showed up to save the day, but the other, greater part of her just wanted to knock some sense into him for being so obnoxious all the time. Maybe she'll help these bad guys scare some shit into him, maybe then he'll be a bit brighter.

Although at least now the insult she made towards Sasuke had its effects. The boy was nearly twitching.

The instant the noise had died down, Sakura's attention turned back to the dark-haired boy that believe he may have known her from somewhere—just to make sure she didn't forget where this was all headed. Tilting her head towards him suggestively and raising two fine brows, she urged him to complete that train of thought so they could proceed onto what should've been a battle that she's been looking forward to all week.

"What about me?" She finally said.

That darn boy still said nothing.

"Out with it Haku, or I'll kill these brats myself."

Pumping her fist in the air and screaming "Thank you" probably wouldn't sit well with many of her teammates, she knew, but the urge to do so was close to being unbearable. If she had met a boy, wearing a white mask who was out to kill them before this mission, she was very sure she would've remembered it. But obviously, this child knew her from somewhere while she had no goddamn clue who in the hell he was except for being a deceptive bastard that saved the Mist-nin's ass, thus causing them this trouble.

"Haruno Sakura?" It was more of a statement than it was a question, but even so she nodded warily. "She's the princess."

In the corner of her eye, she saw Kakashi stiffen with the statement, and had she not been so stunned herself she may have shouted at him to spill the beans and explain what in the hell Haku was talking about.

"You've got to be kidding me." The Mist-nin nearly groan, covering his face as he leaned his head back to laugh. "She's your fucking cousin."

Instantly, as a defense mechanism, she rose her hand to ease the itch at the back of her head and looked anywhere—everywhere—but her teammates and the supposed enemy. Her mouth opened and closed a couple of times, believing to have something to say, but ended up with nothing at all. Then suddenly, having no idea what to do next, she looked at him and did the exact same thing as Zabuza. "You have got to be shitting me."

Rubbing her forehead, she chuckled before shaking her head and looking at him with a mix of disbelief and denial.

"...have _got_ to be shitting me!" She muttered again, this time louder as if trying to convince herself. "Princess? Princess of what?"

Kakashi eyed Sakura fidgeting impatiently, half of her seeming to want to hear the rest and the other half wanting to rush ahead and end the boy's life. Sakura wasn't someone who was easily fooled, he found that out the hard way during the bell test when he couldn't even trap her in his genjutsu. And then and there she didn't look so convinced by the boy's personal struggle.

The Copy-nin sighed. The mission had taken a turn for the worse and complicated itself far more than what it was originally. A simple B disguised as a C-rank mission, that's what he agreed to, not this. If he knew who the kid was, he would've killed Zabuza when he had the chance instead of letting the kid _kill him_. The enemy was taking things to a a whole new level of personal.

"Hatake!" She growled when the older boy didn't reply, causing the man and the rest of her team to flinch by the sudden drop of his respected title. "You look like you know something. What in the hell is this kid talking about?"

Scratching the back of his head and looking away in what appeared to be a hint of shame, he spoke in a low voice. "You're the princess from the Land of Snow."

"The Land of—" She began, her voice raising dangerously loud before cutting herself off in thought. "You knew this whole time and you never tried to tell me, once? If I'm the almighty princess from the Land of Christmas All Year Long then why was I brought to Konoha?"

"This isn't the time—"

"Then when, Kakashi-sensei? After we kill the boy who I had no idea was my cousin two seconds ago?" She snapped, taking a step towards him menacingly with the intention to beat the truth out of him. "Why am I not in the Land of Snow?"

There wasn't a doubt in the back of her mind that she wasn't originally from Konoha. Her earliest memories resided her in a place that was always raining, always muddy, and downright gloomy. One of those memories consisted of being thrown over the shoulder of a Leaf shinobi and carried away to Konoha when she was around six, and from there, things started taking their course and she was raised as a Leaf shinobi.

However, somewhere along the lines of being birthed to and living in a place where there wasn't a speck of sunlight, someone forgot to fill her in that she was actually a princess from a place named after a precipitation. Having no memory of anything before the age of four, she could only hope that these two men would fill in the blanks.

"The Land of Snow was overtaken by war a few years after you were born." Haku said darkly.

"War?"

"Yes, there was a lot of dispute within the clan which lead to family members killing each other off."

Simultaneously, emerald clashed with onyx, in the heat of mutual history. Processing the fact that she was motherless, fatherless, and overall familyless because of the strikingly similar reasons as Sasuke, she had to somehow digest the fact that she wasn't an orphan just because two people didn't want her, but because she was a part of a Clan—that she never knew even existed—being wiped out by one another.

Lips parted to make way for the tongue that slid out, and licking her dry lips she looked from Sasuke, who was as curious as she was, to Haku, who she assumed was staring at her through the small slits of his mask.

"What was the dispute about?" Her voice came out in a whisper, still somehow having the ability to overpower the howling of the wind. She studied her new-found cousin carefully, unsure whether to regard him as the enemy or as a family member who wouldn't try to kill her.

"Sakura." Kakashi hissed warning.

"What? Are you going to tell me what happened?" She barked, both hands clenched until Kakashi saw a trail of blood dripping out between her fingers.

His gazed swept over her fuming form for a brief moment, knowing that there was nothing he could do once the girl wanted something. She was definitely as persistent as Naruto, and like he knew not to anger the blonde boy, the pinkette was no different. Hesitantly he turned back to her cousin, someone who he was definitely having mixed feelings about, as if giving him the cue to continue to the horror story.

"After your grandmother died, there were some contradicting opinions about who would ascend the thrown. Originally, it was to be your oldest uncle, but since you had come to be quite...special, your father took the title until you would be old enough to take his place."

Bloody fingers dug into her stomach, and closing her eyes tightly to keep the world from spinning, she could only pray that this wasn't heading in the direction she that it thought was going.

After that she only heard fractions of his tale.

"...it didn't sit well with his other brother..."

"...said the next in line after the oldest child should've been him, the middle child..."

"...tried to take you..."

"...waged war against the clan and country..."

"...killed as many as he could..."

"...some escaped..."

In the midst of catching fragments of his story, the only thing she could comprehend was "This is your fault." and "You killed everyone." Because she was special and because her uncle was a greedy, power-hungry whore that she left many childless, parentless, and homeless. Finally surfacing from guilt that swelled within her chest, she could only wonder about what would happen now that she stood face to face with one of the victims. Though he never expressed it, she knew that somewhere behind the mask and deep within him, he blamed her and wanted revenge.

"Kukuku, looks like we're in a tough spot, huh, Copy-cat?" The Mist-nin teased, drawing his sword. "Don't worry Haku, I won't hurt the girl. It's the old man we want."

Maybe Haku had said something, or even gave him this look that somehow said she was off limit. Whatever it was, she had missed the whole exchange entirely. Wrapped up in her own self-hate and rage, she felt like she had gone deaf and blind altogether and the only thing holding her up was her own dignity to not fall to her knees and cry about how unfair this was.

"Please forgive me, cousin." Was the last thing she ever heard Haku say before he turned and attacked Naruto and Sasuke.

After that, everything went black.

* * *

_I know some may be a little confused about Haku's identity, but to clear up any misunderstandings, all I have to say is that it is what it is. I know in the series he is a part of the Yuki clan who was wiped out because of the fear of bloodline limits, and his father killed his mother and tried to kill him, etc. This story just puts a small twist on it where he's actually a part of my made up Haruno clan who was wiped out because of Sakura._

_Things are a little hazy at this point as to what's going on with Sakura, but eventually they'll clear up as you read the next few chapters—though as I'm updating this chapter, the other ones haven't been edited yet._

**_xoxo_**


	3. Fight With Feelings

_Chapter Three: Fight with Feelings_

* * *

When she finally came to that day, she found herself uncomfortably wet and chilled to the bone. Beside her were grunts and hisses of pain and annoyance, and looking over to see Sasuke yanking needles out of his once-lifeless body, it was clear who had won the battle. For the remainder of that day, everyone kept their distance to allow her some time to grieve and digest what Haku had told her. It wasn't until the day after that she asked them what happened after she passed out, and discovered that Naruto and Sasuke hadn't killed Haku, but her cousin sacrificed himself in order to save Zabuza from Kakashi's fatal attack.

Even if Kakashi's chidori was what took Haku's life, she couldn't bring herself to hate him or dislike him in the least. Surprisingly, she wasn't all that sad that Haku had died, but then again, she never had a cousin to know how to properly react to the death of one.

Every part of her was still furious with Kakashi for keeping what may as well be the biggest secret of her life from her though, and she made it fairly evident with the way she ignored him for the most part. The only time of day she had given him since the event was when she was listening to him explain everything with guilt spilling from his words. Said how he was there to take her from Snow, lost her in Rain, and tracked her down years later to bring her to Konoha. Then he went on to explain the battle that had taken place when she knocked herself unconscious. Somehow finding it within her to reach out and touch his arm gently, she whispered that she didn't hold it against him.

It was clear that he didn't fully believe her words, and every interaction afterwards was a little forced and awkward—on top of her opening being angry at him.

He tried to explain to her how the frustration, along with all the guilt she must've been feeling was too much for her to handle, and as a result, it just shut down. But looking him square in the eye, with a small smirk tugging at her lips, she said "It was just my body's trained reaction when things aren't in control. If you were there in Snow like you said you were, you know what I'm talking about."

He said nothing.

Sasuke, in his minimal emotion and awkward expression of feelings kind of way, did little things to show that he was sorry. One was giving her a stiff, makeshift hug when no one was looking after she had woken up, the next was helping her with things like putting away the dishes when she helped with dinner, and carrying her bag. It went on a little afterwards when they got back to Konoha. He no longer complained about what she packed him for lunch, and thanked her after every meal she made, even if it was a quick "thanks."

In no time at all, she was back to her old self. Threatening to beat her teammates into next week and finding enjoyment out of annoying the younger Uchiha. It only served her well in the end, no one wanted Sakura to meet the Hokage in the state she had been in. They were scared she could land herself in jail with words alone.

The so called meeting lasted her a whole day of missions. While the rest of them were off walking dogs and cleaning the god forsaken river since the crack of dawn, she was no where to be seen until sometime near sundown when they returned to the Hokage tower to report their completed missions. She didn't look too happy when she turned to look at them, and even brushed passed them without muttering a single word of acknowledgement.

For the next few days after the meeting, Sasuke would wake up to lunch boxes packed with that morning's breakfast, and no matter how much both he and Naruto bugged her about her meeting with the Hokage, she wouldn't budge. The only thing she had assured them was she wasn't in trouble like he said she wasn't, but the content of the meeting was classified. The more the bugged her about it, the worse their punishment would be when she cracked, she warned them.

Eventually, things started going back to the way they were before. There wasn't that strain within their team where Sakura was off in her own little world, a little too easy irritated, and withdrawn. As a team they were excited about the chuunin exams Kakashi had nominated them for, but like Sakura had believed before, they were in over their heads.

Watching over the matches in the preliminaries, she didn't have the energy to be thrilled that all of Team Seven passed. What should've been, could've been, a breeze, turned out to be something she couldn't even put into words because she didn't even understand. To make matters worse, she didn't even understand how she allowed such a thing to happen.

One minute they were fighting Orochimaru, the next Sakura was saving Naruto from falling to his death, then there was that brief moment where she heard his name, and then before she could get Sasuke out of the way the man's fucking fangs were in his skin. Bit him like a goddamn vampire. The rest was a blur to her. How she managed to get the two of them to the tower in one peace and manage to get both scrolls was something that wasn't even worth trying to figure out. Sure, there were scenes that she could remember, like Sasuke waking up in a swirl or black chakra. But after begging him to stop, the rest of the second test was carried out on auto pilot. Attack those who attack you and find the scrolls. She didn't snap to until she had to unravel the scroll and Iruka popped up out of no where.

What's done was done.

That was the worst part.

When the curse released during his match with a name not even worth remembering, Kakashi had to physically hold her back when she had just about pounced off the railing threatening to beat the mark off his body if he allowed it to overcome him again. That involved Naruto holding her feet together while Kakashi held both arms behind her back, until the markings retreated and Sasuke ended his match. Disappearing out back, only Kakashi returned to inform them that Sasuke was safe and sound in the hospital.

Though he couldn't shake off her glare.

"That curse mark," she began quietly, making sure the boy who stood to Kakashi's right couldn't hear.

"I placed a seal on it, Sakura, there's no need for you to continue beating yourself over it."

He saw it in the way she moved. The way her eyes kept wandering back to the spot on Sasuke's neck and how she gave no mercy to the Yamanaka girl during her fight. All the frustration she was storing came out in the five moves it took to knock the girl unconscious during their match, but even then the tension didn't leave Sakura's body.

If looks could kill, she may have been the only one to pass the preliminary.

Sakura continued to watch Lee's and Gaara's match with some sort of forced interest. The Sand-nin's ability to control sand without a wave of his finger wasn't impressive enough to get her mind off the dark-hair boy that nearly died earlier that week. There wasn't even enough focus to flinch when Lee let out a blood curdling scream to mask the crushing of the bones in his arm and leg.

Treading both hands through her hair and tugging her locks free of the tie, she leaned her forehead against the cool railing and let out a groan of frustration. Until she was sure what was happening, there was nothing she could do but hope the thing wouldn't hurt Sasuke until the next time they ran into that snake bastard. Then she might beat some explanation out of him before breaking his long, extendable neck.

How long she stayed like that was unknown to her, not that she really cared. The cool metal of the railing was giving her a headache that she never would've thought she'd welcome so openly under any other circumstances. Only a shake from Naruto and a whisper in her name got her to snap out of her rather pathetic worrying.

Dully, she told him she was just exhausted, and turned to watch the clean-up down below.

It was evident in the way Sasuke humored Sakura that they were very close friends. Kakashi hadn't seen him put up with any other girl, let alone allow them to lay a finger on him, without telling them to piss off or remove their person from his body. However, when Sakura did it, he took it as it was and sometimes even egged her on just to get a smirk or a snort from it.

Clearly, these feelings were mutual. With the way she'd piss herself worrying over him or threaten to beat him black and blue fearlessly for scaring her as he had a couple of times, there was no mistaken the fact that they genuinely cared for each other in their abusive kind of way. He has yet to witness anything romantic between them, but nevertheless they cared for each other enough that if somehow Sasuke sprouted three heads and became acquainted with his hormones and Sakura returned those feelings, Kakashi wouldn't be surprise.

The way she was stressing herself over this mess was nothing short of what was to be expected of her.

"You ran into him, didn't you?" It slipped out before she could stop it, her eyes widening for a fraction of a second when she realized her mistake.

The idea of it entertained her for some time, and it was only a possibility she came up with but dismissed it as her own paranoia. Her mind conjured it up once Kakashi returned without Sasuke, and even if he had genuinely ensured them that Sasuke was at the hospital she smelt the fear on him and sensed the not-so-foreign chakra that had engulfed him in a genjutsu for the briefest moment before.

Knowing it was too late to take it back, she turned her head warily to meet Kakashi's darken gaze. His eye told her to dropped the subject—that there was nothing she could do about it. But with how things were going, she'd go insane with worry before her mind would allow her to rest. Turning her body to fully face him then, with a fire of determination lighting her eyes, he already got the idea that she wasn't about to stop until she got the answer she was looking her—maybe do something about it as well. "What does h—"

A flare of chakra knocked the words right out of her. Instantly, their attention was no longer on each other and the strain within their posture was dispelled with the natural instinct to stand and attack. All sets of eyes—if it wasn't before—turned to the broken battleground below and the only words echoing through Sakura's brain, along with many others, was '_You must be joking.'_

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei. That guy, he looks just like Sasuke." Naruto whispered, throwing Sakura's head back to chuckle breathlessly.

"Hey, don't stop the battles on our behalf, I enjoy a little show with dinner." The larger of the two chuckled, tapping the sword double their size on his shoulder effortlessly, as he flashed his teeth, just for effects.

"Uchiha Itachi!" The Hokage's hummed with anticipation, inhaling and exhale the smoke from his pipe as dark eyes narrowed at the criminal. "You were praised for being a genius; a move like this was not only risky, but foolish as well."

The family name struck Naruto like a bolt, his eyes widening in realization of who this man could possibly be while Sakura muttered something along the lines of "Bastard Number one." As if the latter were his true name, said Bastard Number one's attention turned from the Hokage to their general party. Fearlessly Sakura stared into the pools of red, a scowl dressing her face as she propped up on the railing.

In return for the obvious threat, the swordsman threw his head back and cackled, causing many to narrow his eyes at his disrespect. "My, isn't the old man a little confident, Itachi? Hasn't bothered to asked why his ANBUs haven't shown up yet."

_This isn't good,_ Kakashi's eyes narrowed, raising to look at Sakura who was contently enjoying her unprotected, open position. It these men had, without a hitch, taken down the assigned ANBU's to watch over the chuunin exams, then they were in real trouble.

Ignoring how dangerous the situation was, the way every elite jounin was ready to pounce on order, and ignoring the way Kakashi was nudging her to get behind him, her body tipped forward and she graced the heir with a mocking smirk.

"Come back to finish what you started, Uchiha?" It was half question, half laughter, all mockery. Having just about enough to worry about, Uchiha Itachi appearing out of thin air, his existence almost promising Sasuke's death, left no room for fear in her storming soul. Who gives a shit about the fact that he took out the Uchiha clan, she'd be damn if she didn't at least try to stop him from getting to Sasuke.

"Haruno Sakura, you'd be wise to behave yourself."

Another order from the Hokage erupted laughter in her throat. Still staring fiercely at the murderer, biting her lips playfully as she grinned with apprehension. "Only if he promises to behave."

Her words were vexing them on for a fight, and she'd give them one whether anyone else in the room liked it or not. Tying her obnoxiously long hair in another ponytail, she tossed one leg over the side in preparation to get half of Sasuke's revenge for him. Beat Itachi within an inch of his life and let Sasuke finish the man off, then they can focus on their next problem and take the slimy snake bitch out. The end. They lived happily ever after.

But before the other leg could join, the inconvenience of having long hair finally caught up to her and Kakashi's fingers entangled themselves in her long, pink locks. With a twirl of his hand the strands looped around his knuckle, giving him to leverage to yank her off the railing and against him in one go.

"Stand down." He commanded, his voice its roughest since the time he was trapped in Zabuza's water prison.

Whatever she was playing at wasn't welcomed in the slightest. Egging these men on just because she wanted a fight to release the stress from her body was not only selfish, but would ultimately get her killed—if not everyone else. Earlier in their partnership, Kakashi had deemed her to be as fearless as Naruto, as of now, she bested the blonde boy at being reckless.

Sakura growled, tilting her head as much as the strain of her hair would allow to shoot her one of her famous smirks. "Only in Hell."

"You will stand down or I will make you stand down."

"Is that a threat, Hatake?"

His hesitation wasn't missed, though were he not holding her still it might've been easily camouflaged. She felt him stiffen in the most, microscopic way when she grounded out his surname. Sure enough he was over thinking his next move and if enraging her was well worth it.

"Sakura-chan..." The small whimpering of their finally teammate tore them from yet another quarrel. "You don't have to get so angry at Kakashi-sensei, he's just trying to protect you."

When cerulean eyes met where Sakura and Kakashi's bodies locked, his steel-grip hold on her hair loosened enough for her to pull free. Scratching her scalp in obvious irritation, she turned back to stare icily at her sensei before re-tightening the tie at the base of her ponytail.

That strain between them was there again. How she treated Kakashi had dramatically changed since their mission to the Wave Country, where a handful of times after it she would call him "Hatake" instead of "Kaka or Kakashi-sensei", making it obvious his rain for authority didn't reach where she stood. Most time she liked the man enough to call him by his respective title, but when she was angry, she'd throw respect to the wind and down right call him an "asshole" if she was up to it.

"Stubborn, as always, Sakura?" The sound of his voice, thoough deeper than she remembered it to be, caught her attention over the whining of Naruto and glare of Kakashi instantly.

The nerve of that man to poke fun at her. "What's it to you?"

His sole eye glanced at her face, taking in the expression for being nothing sort of irritation, and displaying nothing that gave off fear. The two were speaking as if they were old friends, and at the point, Kakashi was beginning to wonder what exactly was going on. The Hokage has yet to issue the order to advance on the intruders, but instead, stood from his stand and watched the informal interaction of one of his Leaf genins and the S-class criminal.

"Kukuku, she sure is—"

"I'm not talking to you, fish-face. Shut it before I turn you into sushi!" She snapped, her voice firm and holding an authoritative edge, which attained a snarl from the so-called fish-face.

In a breakneck speed, without a single glance or clue which gave away her position, her hand shot up in time to prevent another black out. Teasingly slow and radiating that killing aura once again, she shot Kakashi a look that dared him to try knocking her out again, a squeeze of his wrist for emphasize.

Half-heartedly she expected Naruto to say something. Tell her to calm down, or shout at Kakashi for trying to attack her. But just like their sensei, he stood perfectly still to soak it all in, to get his mind to process what he just witness from not Kakashi, but Sakura herself. Without batting an eyelash or even tearing her gaze from the blue-skinned man, she stopped Kakashi's attack with one hand, and still held it in place. Whether Kakashi was trying to remain cool and not attempt to pull his hand free, or because he simply couldn't, her tiny hand was still wrapped around his much large wrist, squeezing it lightly.

"What are you doing here, Uchiha?"

Kakashi knew that tone well, having it been used on him a handful of times before, he could almost say Itachi was in trouble—almost. It was whenever the boys really got out of hand, when screaming at them didn't work, that her voice would drop and she commanded them to stop in a calm, threatening manner. It always went along the lines of "I suggest you stop if you know what's good for you" or "Hatake, 'blah blah blah'". She'd use it whenever she was trying to lure them in to a trap, and one wrong move would send them spiraling down to hell. Hell, she had spoken to him in that very same tone earlier, and he was smart enough to not reply.

"Damn noisy bitch." His partner grumbled, thrusting the sword over his shoulder where the tip dug into the ground. Spider web cracks patterned the already broken floor, displaying massive strength in a brief demonstration of the sword's weight. "What are we waiting for, let's just take her out and leave already."

_So that's it, _Kakashi's eyes narrowed, _they're after Sakura. _

Aware that Sakura realized their motives as well, Kakashi seized the moment to tug his hand free only to find how much energy it required of him. But having too much pride to rub his sore wrist, he did his best to wedge himself between Sakura and the railing, much to her silent protest. Now with his own hand engulfing her shockingly tiny wrist, he managed to hold her in place behind him. She did nothing but lean against his back, peering over his side to watch the intruders' next move.

"Need I warn you to not take her lightly, Kisame."

"She's a genin brat."

"She could kill you."

"Damn right I could" tickled her throat, but not wanting to agree with the Uchiha stopped it from actually coming out. Itachi's praise, much to her disgust, sent a wave of joy through her system, leaving her slightly puzzled as to where she sided in this situation. Was she actually happy that some criminal complimented her ability?

"Wow, that must be the first time ever heard you compliment anyone." The fish man grunted, jerking his sword from the ground and tossing it on his shoulder again. "Let's see if it was truly deserved."

His figure blended into smoke, and before Kakashi could make the move to reveal his Sharigan or grab both Naruto and Sakura to move them out of the way, he found his arm to be painfully sore at the shoulder and Sakura to be in front of the both of them. Bracing herself with her hands on the railing, her body stuck out to stop the swing of his sword with her feet. In a hard enough thrust she pushed the swordsman back, amazing still keeping her balance, as she twisted her body into a handstand before squatting on the railing.

"Stay out of this, Hatake, this is my fight. The bastard and I have some unfinished business." Her voice had a hint of amusement in it, although the tone she used was nothing light or happy. Turning to look at him, daring him to stop her again or to tell her differently, she said, "Unnecessary involvement only causes unnecessary deaths and injuries. Unless the Hokage tells you otherwise, stay out of _my _fight."

Confident that the Hokage wouldn't unless these intruders meant harm to anyone else, she oddly didn't feel offended or even hurt that he was willing to gamble with her life. If she hadn't known better, she may have thought that he even set that up if taken into account her "meeting" with the Hokage a week or two ago.

It began innocently enough as he asked about how the last few years had been living within the village, but then it took a turn when he asked about the friends she made, specifically the Uchiha heir. It was pretty obvious what he was trying to imply, but at the same time, a little odd that he would investigate it so many years later. Out of the blue it seemed like he was suspecting her of being apart of the Uchiha massacre, or so she thought when it began. And breaking the rule of being a shinobi, he took it to an emotional level when he wanted to incorporate her feelings about the massacre.

How she felt about it afterwards, if she suspected a thing, or if Itachi had been acting strange leading up to that date.

For the most part, she wanted to answer with sarcasm.

"Oh yeah, I was so relieved finding out he murdered everyone, and yeah, I've known since the day I was born that I'd run into a guy who would murder his family. Strange? The Uchiha's always strange, that's an invalid question."

But knowing well enough that it would be her one way ticket to a prison cell, she decided to fight against the urge and answer as truthfully as possible. Having her memories explored and mind read was another story on its own.

When it was finally over, she asked him what this was all about and why Itachi was suddenly important again. His only reply was that she helped with the investigation and she was free to leave. The only thing keeping her from panicking over the fact that she was under suspicion was the fact that he told her again that she wasn't in trouble. Until he acted otherwise, she'll hold onto that promise.

With the bastard showing up, she was starting to triple think the position she was in. What the Hokage had to prove for or against her wasn't worth bringing such a dangerous criminal—and his pet fish—back into the village, she was sure. Although she did find it hard to believe this to only be a coincident. Trusting the great man to seize the moment, she didn't doubt that he was going to test her on what she said in their one-to-one conversation, though.

And she would deliver.

Throwing herself over before Kakashi could manage a decent hold on her hair, she landed in the small crater instead of on top of the shark man like she thought. Although he jumped out of the way in time to not be stomped on, he was still grumbling as he brushed the debris off off his cloak while taking in her petite body. The strength in that one kick left him no time to regain his balance as he landed on his back hard enough to leave a dent, how something so small pack up to so much strength wasn't something he really wanted to try figuring out.

Looking at him, as large and solid as he was and carrying the sword as he did, his whole existence screamed strength. But look at this little girl who could fit into the palm of his hand and had outrageous pink hair, she screamed sun dresses, flower picking, and home-baked goods.

"Not too shabby for a genin, Pinkie." Kisame released a groan through his sharp teeth, the bindings of his sword unraveling as he took an offensive stance.

A shrug. "He warned you, Fish-chan."

"What an original name."

"Oh, and you think your's is any better?"

They lunged at each other at a moments notice, one with a sword in hand while the other held absolutely nothing. Kakashi wasn't sure if she really was asking for a death wish by her recent behavior; it was one thing to go against both his and the Hokage's orders, another to challenge S-class criminals, but it was completely something else to take the man with a sword larger than her body head on when she didn't even have a weapon in hand.

At the last second, before the spiked weapon would make contact with her person, she ducked and balanced herself onto her palms before pushing upwards. Two small feet landed on the blade of the sword, and with a small smirk, she swung for his head. Ducking just in time to spare himself the embarrassment of being beheaded by a pink haired child, he tugged the weapon from under her and went to strike on her fallen form, only to meet concrete.

Before he knew what hit him, or even had the chance to yank his sword out from the ground, he was headed face first towards the monument. Thankfully the gods were being generous this time around, giving him enough time to regain his footing and stop yet another embarrassing outcome. Looking at his opponent who had a smug smirk on her face, he snarled again, unknown to him causing her smirk to widen.

"You didn't think I would take this laying down, did you, Fishie-chan?" The pinkette began, still in a crouched position. Mockery dripped from her words as she watched him try to recover from her attack and wounded ego. "I don't know who to feel bad for, you, for having to deal with the asshole, or him for having to put up with you."

She giggled and he saw red.

What should've sliced her into five pieces ended up vaporizing before his eyes. The Water Release: Water Gun technique never made it anywhere close to its target as fire intervened and the room misted with steam. For a moment, Kisame thought his partner had interfered because, being the goody-goody he was and following his instruction, they were ordered to bring her back alive and intact. Why, he couldn't say, because something as having the container in tact was never an important detail their leader ministered. But one look at Itachi told him the guy hadn't moved a muscle since the round started and wasn't at all angry that he nearly disobeyed that order, letting him know that it really wasn't the bastard.

Staring through the fog in the direction of the obnoxiously pink hair, he made out the way her stance changed into the one Itachi took when he preformed that particular jutsu. Maybe his face gave it away because she grinned and shrugged, that taunting atmosphere never leaving her side.

"Surprised? So am I—can't believe I still remembered the seals."

She was talking to him like he was just another a person, as if they were actually sitting down together and having a friendly conversation instead of battling each other, and Kisame couldn't decide what was worse. The fact that he was caught making a stupid face or that she didn't see him as anything more than a little pest.

"Wooo! Go Sakura-chan!" Naruto cheered, his eyes squinted as his mouth made an 'O' shape. "Grill that fish!"

When Kakashi went over the files of his student, Sakura and Sasuke being outstanding students, while Naruto was at rock bottom, he hadn't pictured his team of genins coming out like this. He didn't see Naruto and Sakura coming out as twins and charging into reckless situations together, while he had to constantly run around to ensure they still had their heads on. What he pictured was a level headed boy and a level headed girl who calmly calculated their situation and took life and death situation as serious as life and death should be, yet here he was, tied with waiting for the Hokage's order to swoop down and rescue the rebellious girl while warning Naruto not to draw attention to himself.

Her teammates encouragement only widened her smirk until he saw teeth.

"So, Itachi-san didn't so such a shabby job at training you. Just don't get ahead of yourself here, I'm not finish with you yet!"

In a growl he was on her again, swinging his sword to and fro as she made sure that he realized it took no effort to dodge. Matching his strength and speed would've be something he'd taken the time to congratulate her on if he wasn't so angry; while she made a crater with his body, sent him flying with a single punch, and sent his jutsu up in steam, he has yet to lay a single finger on her.

Finally whipping out a kunai, she used it a shield to spare her skin the edged wounds the sword would give her. In comparison it was fairly small, yet enough to keep her skin from making contact with the sword. Though when Kisame applied more pressure, the ragged edges made contact with her bare knuckles earning him a growl of pain and some sense of satisfactory.

So maybe it was a cheap move, but hey, in the shinobi world whatever got you out alive wasn't all that cheap if you reflected back on it. A kick to the guy's groin not only freed her from the intense pressure of the sword, which was beginning to suck the chakra out of her body, but gave her enough of an advantage to throw it across the room. She heard murmurs of disbelief and laughter from some of the members in the audience, and like most of them, she couldn't fully believe she actually did that.

Trust that Uchiha Itachi didn't teach her to do _that._

As Kisame cursed her name in twenty different languages, nineteen of which he made up on the spot, he somehow found it in him to block the foot aiming directly at his head. But before he had time to snap her pretty little ankle, her other heel dug into his shoulder before both legs wrapped around his head and flipped him to the ground.

Carrying herself on her hands before landing on her toes, she drove downwards with a kunai in hand. With his form trapped under her body, knees at his shoulder, hand on his forehead, and kunai at his neck, he could only watch as she ever so slowly leaned into him, chuckling darkly as the tip of the kunai began probing into his scaly, blue skin.

"You have yet to best the bastard in a sparing match, though I'm not exactly him, did you really think you could defeat me when I was his student?"

Before the answer left his body, she felt her form soaring through the arena by a forced that grabbed her by the ass and shoved her off. Landing in a sloppy roll that nearly dislocated her shoulder, she quickly recomposed herself and slid on her heel, waiting for the next attack. Surveying her handy work, she noticed the trail of blood the dripped from under his chin. Though shallow and not life threatening, a cut was better than no cut at all.

Feeling the strain on her shoulders, the speed which required her to neutralized his attack wasn't match and in turn, forcing her t throw herself out of the way instead of his attack going up in steams again. Surveying the damage of his attack, she realized the guy could flood up the place if he wanted to with amount of water he puked out—yet he didn't seem at all to be running low on his chakra reserves.

Launching onto the water to avoid a third round of the water gun technique, the few moments it took for her to realize the large puddle was saturated in chakra was enough to be her undoing. The density of the liquid in reaction in to the concentration slowed her movements enough to create an opening for the Akatsuki member to entrap her in a prison. Now, sealed inside, she didn't at all looked as thrilled as she had been the times she used his body as a punching bag, and chuckling at his freshly trapped prey he said, "What were you saying about being not being about to defeat you? Looks like we've got you, Pinkie."

Naruto was on the railing in a blink of an eye. And even though Kakashi grabbed him by the collar and yanked him off, he found himself doing the same, steadying himself on the metal bar and waiting for a "go" from the Hokage to swoop down and take the fish bastard out—earning a very stoic stare from the Uchiha prodigy. But when he glanced at the Hokage, he was watching calmly with a perceptive stare that Kakashi couldn't pinpoint. Oddly enough, he had more faith in the girl than Kakashi did of his own student, and deciding that he would take the chance the Hokage was risking...just for a moment.

Summoning the abandoned sword on shear will alone, Kisame's free hand gripped the handle firmly and rose the blade over his head. But before he could utter the sentence "Let's end this" she turned and smirked at him—grinning afterwards because she knew it got under his skin and slowly she closed her eyes, as if in defeat. There was something stirring in his gut that told him it wasn't what he wanted to believe it was and he only realized afterwards that it was his mistake to pause.

Simply releasing bubbles of air through her mouth innocently, her arm suddenly tore through the barrier and shattered the ball without a single hesitation. In its wake was the whole thing shattering, exploding with liquefied needles in its place which shot in every direction. Kisame would have to thank his reflexes later, for it if wasn't for them he would've received more than bullets to the arms and legs.

"Don't get ahead of yourself here, Fish-chan. I'm not finished with you yet either." She coughed, taking the luxury to ring her hair of the water. "Also, don't forget why you're after me."

Caught up in his battle, he nearly misplaced the information that she was the Tiger Demon, master of the four basic elements. Any elemental attack would be nothing but a waste of chakra if she had anything to do about it, and despite his amount of chakra, it was nothing compared to that of a demon's.

"That's enough, Kisame." Before he was up and advancing again—at the girl who looked nothing more than pleased by their recent scuffle—Itachi's form was in front of him, leaving no room for objection.

Instead of bracing herself for whatever attack he had in store, or generally processing the idea that Itachi was a much more dangerous opponent than Kisame, she flipped her drenched hair over her shoulder and crossed her arms over her chest, looking as if she intended to stare the Uchiha into defeat.

"You don't seem to understand the predicament you're in, Sakura-san." He said calmly, returning her stare with one of his emotionally devoid looks.

"What I don't understand is how you came to the conclusion that we're on a first name basis." In her retort there was a brief moment where she grunted, and another where Kakashi saw her head move in a child-like way. Haruno Sakura was giving Uchiha Itachi attitude. The idea of it wasn't all that hard to take in, considering how she opening expressed her emotions and fearless attitude, she'd sass the Uchiha into next week and not care that he could kill her in an instant.

"Surely we've passed the formalities by now, Sa-ku-ra."

"And surely you've realized I do not like you, U-chi-ha."

The appearance of his weapon started off the show, quickening the pace of Kakashi's heart as he watched his rebellious student take on one, if not the absolute most, dangerous S-class criminal from Konoha. Their body's brushed and twisted with each other, the speed of the attacks turning their bodies into nothing more than black and pink blurs. One minute her leg was at his head, the next he had her wrist twisted around back, their kunai were long forgotten in the walls and they continued their deadly dance.

"Did I not teach you better than to allow your emotions to cloud your judgement?" The Uchiha whispered, the tip of his newly drawn kunai pricking at her skin teasingly.

Throwing her head against his shoulder, she laughed.

"Has the last few years done something to your memory?" With pouty lips and wide green eyes, she tilted her head to face him. Then in a second it was gone, after drinking in his darken gaze, she bore her fangs and smirked. "Have you forgotten how insubordinate I can be?"

"You aren't the one to speak. You have not bested me yet, Sakura." The way his breath ghosted her neck, she fought with herself not to shiver. Because he would feel it, and he would know. Submitting herself to him in any shape or form, demonstrating the slightest bit of weakness in her physical endurance was absolutely impassable. "You've forgotten that I could kill you."

To make note of his point, the kunai pressed deeper into her skin, drawing blood in the process and pushing Naruto to the edge of his seat. Sakura let out a breathless laugh again, still refusing to tear her gaze from the man behind her, just to make point that it didn't mean shit.

"You won't kill me, your leader wants me alive, doesn't he?" The question was innocent enough, well, the way she went about asking it it was, anyway. That same way she pouted her lips and flashed her beading green eyes made it seem like she was the most naive being on the planet. Had Itachi not known better, and thank god he did, he may have fallen for her sweet, innocent act. She knew from the beginning that she was getting out of this alive no matter what, be it because she miraculously defeated them both or lost, with one look at their faces. "Don't look so surprised, or did you forget about Neko? Here, let me refresh your memory."

As her hand wrapped around his, an instant burning sensation seeped through his skin, and the kunai dropped to the ground at that second. Taking the fact that she was no longer held prisoner by his person and the ninja knife, she twirled with her hand already in a fist, intending to knock his head right off his body. But he was quick, as perceptive as the Uchiha Itachi shoulder be, and he was gone before she had fully turned.

Spotting him across the arena, she hadn't given it a second before she broke off in a charge, eyes narrowing at the drop of her innocent, taunting facade. "C'mon _sensei_, you aren't the one to run. Come back and fight me like the bastard who murdered his clan and left Sasuke alone that you really are."

She was on him again, engaging him in a match of taijutsu alone, with the same fire that lit her as when she took down Ino. It wasn't the same as the time she defeated Zabuza's water clone, for that attack held nothing but excitement and joy alone. This time, she was angrier, her killing intent prominent as her eyes set to kill.

Though she didn't kill Ino during match, her core still burned with the desire at the thought of Orochimaru, who had been racking at her brain for the last three days. Now, as it would seem, he was the farthest thing from her mind—there wasn't even room for Sasuke. The only thing that mattered to her was the man in front her. Dodging her attacks with little struggle and countering with his own.

Why it is he didn't try gen or nin-jutsu on her wasn't all that clear to some, but if one were Kakashi, it made perfect sense.

Any ninjutsu could be countered easily with a flare of her demonic chakra, and having experienced her effortlessly releasing any genjutsu attack, it was safe to say she had come to be talented in that area. No doubt if what Kisame said we true, she most definitely already had practice breaking free from that of Itachi's sharigan as one of his student, and although it was evident that Sakura didn't lack in the area of taijutsu, it was the most chakra efficient root to take.

"Tell me, Sakura, are you frustrated?"

At the chime of his voice she growled, eyes flashing between blue and green as she did her best to maintain her composure. Yes, she didn't do much to control her emotions, but even she knew that getting too worked up during a battle was dangerous. There was some control, at least.

Using her heel to stop her body from gliding across the floor, the stone monument was what eventually stopped her body's in its track in the end. Her eyes shut on impact and she arched in pain, the ache trailing from her tail-bone to her her shoulders as she gasped. Opening her eyes in time to witness the advancing body of Itachi, she threw herself over her head and the chakra in her feet and hands kept her from receiving the end of kunai. She kicked off before he could redraw, and landing behind him with her arm reeled back, she went in for the killing.

What should've been his fleshy and bony face, fully of aristocratic features and high cheek bones, turned to the rough surface of the rocky statue. What should've spun his head around twenty times life crumbled the monument and engulfed her body in dust. In the large destruction of the statue and the members in the room squinted and blink in attempt to make her out. A quick shot of her body backwards made her visible from the dust, but her eyes remained locked with the person who stood on the two fingers that survived her assault.

The strength she possessed all this time couldn't be understood by Kakashi. All those times their body's touched and skin grazed on another, she could've broken every single bone in his body. The whole time she had all that strength—not to mention the speed and skills to stand her own against ANBU leveled shinobis—what the hell was she doing as a Genin?

"Frustrated doesn't even begin to cover it, jackass!" She shouted, stomping her feet and crouching as her standing ground rose into a pillar. Now eye to eye with the man, she growled, this time sounding more like an animal that anything eyes.

"I am hurt."

Needles of water came at him.

"I am angry."

Rocks flew towards him.

"And overall, I'm disappointed."

She jumped.

Crashing into the building with her whole form, it was to anyone's surprise that there was anything left. As she clawed at the edge to hold herself on, two white cat ears were noticed on her head, along with the two tails, fangs, and glowing blue eyes. Kakashi feared her demon had fully taken over her in the state she was in, but she proved him wrong the instant she spoke, still in that Sakura-like manner.

"I knew you hated them." She said, releasing her hold and turning the ground below her into nothing more than a large pit. "For fuck sakes, I hated them too. But that will in no way justify what you did."

At lightning speed they lunged at each other, unfolding a game of Mercy, as their grip on one another appeared to be even.

"Do not act like you know me." He warned, the fist around her smaller one tightening.

At the odds, she hung her head and laughed, looking up with a sad smile on her face as she stared into his red pools.

"I assure you that you're nothing more than a stranger to me, Uchiha." Sakura whispered, dropping her head and pushing back when she saw tamoe begin to spin. "And if Sasuke doesn't kill you himself, you best believe that I'm next in line to do so."

Her next moved turned the arena into what looked like the remains of a war, and as vines and roots began tearing through the concrete, the two former student and teacher stood and stared at each other with a look of mutual intensity, only generated by having former interactions. They were comfortable enough with each other to do so, very well antiquated, for that matter. It was a look that would've spoken a thousand words if anyone else in the room could decipher it, but because they simply couldn't, only the pair below understood the look in one another's eyes.

Everything went to hell afterwards. As the vegetation began tearing through the arena, throwing concrete in every direction in wake, Asume half-hearted worried over how Chouji was expected to compete for his round with no grounds to work on. In the gist of trying to get a solid hold on the weasel, she completely missed the fact that Jounins began jumping over the edge to join the battle—and about time too, if Kakashi had anything to say about it. It wasn't until she felt water pooling at her feet did she stop to notice what in hell's name was going on around her.

Some of the senseis were battling Kisame, while above her the genin were watching warily at the exchange. Though, the only person who was giving Itachi the time of day was herself, but she figured they all knew it was better than to get in the way of an enraged demon container. Any other time she would've cheered them on for seizing the moment and taking on the slightly wounded fish who had done nothing but watch with a frown on his face as his partner and her entangled themselves in a deadly dance. But, seeing that she had throwing herself in front of the jounins once or twice to prevent any harm, she wasn't all that generous with her praises.

"Focus on your own battle."

Turning in time to stop Itachi's kunai from launching into her neck, the surprise threw her footing off and gave him the advantage to back her into a wall. Before she could react, she felt the muscles in her stomach constrict and fire shooting through her veins, emitting a scream that left her throat feeling raw. Curling into the hand on her stomach, she clawed at his arm, sun-consciously grabbing onto him for support as she tried to dispel the pain.

"What did you do?" She rasped, looking up at him through the haze.

But the answer never came, and the last thing she could collect was the way his eyes began to spin. At the sound of his monotonous voice that notified his partner it was time to leave, Kakashi's senses kicked into overdrive.

"Sakura!" He called, charging for the door as he dodged the falling plants. Naruto was over the railing and by his side in a blink of an eye, and as they passed through the door he distantly heard the Hokage send Anko to round up some ANBUs while he telling Hayate to proceed with the final match.

They really were in over their heads, and hell was to pay once Sasuke woke up.

* * *

_If the fighting scene wasn't up to anyone's expectations then I'm sorry, I suck ass when it comes to fighting scenes and avoid it as much as possible. But since there wouldn't be a chapter without it—well, the chapter would be fairly short with one—I closed my eyes and gave it a shot. _

_Those familiar with my previous version, I just want to say now that Sakura does not have the Sharigan. There were too many loopholes and errors in my theory that if Sakura could get a hold on it, so could every other person, so no Sharigan for anyone except for Kakashi, Sasuke, Itachi, Obito/Tobi, and Danzo._

_On another note, yes, Sakura has the two-tailed demon and yes, it is nothing like the two tailed demon, Matatabi, in the original series. More information will be revealed as you read along, so until next time,_

**_xoxo_**


	4. Misbehaving Spitfire

_Chapter Four: Misbehaving Spitfire_

* * *

Waking up, it didn't take Sakura very long to figure out something was definitely wrong with her arrangement. Not only was she feeling completely drained that the simplest of movements, such as opening her eyes, tired her out to the point that she figured that she may as well have spent the last week of her life eating nothing but chips and ramen, but the way her wrists rubbed together, held in place by wires, gave it away instantly. The last moments of her battle how many days ago came rushing back, and in a mix of a growl and a groan, she forced her eyes open to come face to face with the ground, only to regret it greatly once the nausea settled in.

This wasn't good. Not only was her demonic abilities out of use, but it appeared to be that most of her chakra was drained to the point that she was surprise she could be outlive unconsciousness. No doubt the sword that rested on the shoulder she wasn't on had something to do with her lack of chakra, and all she could do at this point was beat herself over her lack of attention while battling Itachi.

It was in her nature to be a worry wart, and although she expressed it differently depending on who and what the situation was, she figured it was about time it got her into a mess she couldn't get herself out of. Sometimes, it could be as simple as threatening Naruto and Sasuke to be careful or she'd give them a death much worse, or it could be as extreme as throwing herself in front of others and paying more attention to their battle against Kisame, instead of her own.

It really was either get kidnapped by Fishie-chan and Weasel-Face, or some other fate concerning the Snake-Bastard, though.

Speaking of which, she had another thing to concern herself with besides her well being and person being dragged off to have who-knows-what done to it. Leaving Sasuke alone out of the blue when shit just got crazy was probably the worst thing that could happen. As if Itachi didn't fuck up enough things for his younger brother already, he just had to sweep down in the moment an almighty shinobi who managed to scare the crap out of Kakashi—and Kakashi never got scared—and steal her away, leaving the bastard (number 2, that is) to fend the man off for himself.

"Fucking ridiculous."

That wasn't meant to be aloud, but now that it was, she didn't feel the need to take it back. What she expected was some smart ass retort from the Uchiha about how very reasonable the whole situation was, starting with their plan, why they cam for her, and how it was her fault for throwing herself into an open fire. What she didn't anticipate was the shark she was receiving a ride from to shift her around on his shoulders, and smack her on the behind, chuckling the whole way through.

"First thing in the morning and the little spitfire's still feisty."

She could feel the rumbling in his body as he spoke, he words stirring vibration which she found was irritating her already raw feeling chest.

"You better fucking believe it." Sakura exclaimed, pausing for a moment in recollecting the fact that she used her teammates catch phrase— although with the modification of profanity. "And if you touch my ass again, I'll become real creative on how I'll grill you for dinner—with or without my chakra."

As a reward, his large hand was on her again, this time lingering longer as he gave her a hard squeeze. Anyone looking in could see that she really wasn't in any position to sass-mouth these S-class criminals, but if that was the impression they got, then it was safe to say they didn't know her at all. She was almost certain that if the Uchiha was still capable of emotions, he be giving her this look of uncertainty, like she was someone you'd be wary of, because chakra or no chakra, tied or free, she was still one fierce fighter.

Kicking at his chest did very little, and with her arms behind her back she couldn't even swing for his head if she tried. So, just to make life difficult for the mutant shark because he grabbed her cheeks to get on her nerves, with whatever energy she had left she flung herself backwards in a violent manner. As Kisame went to grab her, on fast reflexes grabbing her and holding her still anyway he could before she hit the ground, she found herself around his waist and staring eye to eye with the man.

And maybe it wasn't one of her brightest ideas—bad enough to fall under one of her Naruto-like things—as she cocked her head forward and slammed her head between his eyebrows. While rolling around on the cold dirt, her hair falling around her as tried to dull the pain from the bump so was no doubt sprouting, she found plenty gratification in knowing that it probably didn't ache like it did for her ass-groping...companion.

_Putting this large ass forehead of mind into good use. _She inwardly chuckled, still on her face as she hunched over and made no attempt to used the bruised weapon to push herself up.

If people could smash wood with their foreheads, then hers _must_ be able to smash through bricks. Must! Because no way in hell it should have been that painful when he was the one who would knock out opponents with his. Growling as he his palms drew circles into the center of his forward, he glowered at the kunoichi who contorted her body in a way that allowed her to bring her tied wrist in front of her as she sat on the ground and pouted/glared at him.

"Fucking forehead freak."

Her brows furrowed as her eyes widen, the pout more prominent now than before as she pushed herself off the ground and marched right up to him. As intimidating as she wanted to be, the sad truth was that the top of her head was at his chest, and even on her tippy-toe she couldn't even make it to reach his chin. Not to mention having natural pink hair made her the girliest, most innocent looking female—even when compared to Hinata or Ino—that had ever been graced with the title of a Kunoichi.

"Freaky enough that I can beat you black and purple with it! You wanna try me you fish freak?" She snarled, reaching up to take a fistful of his cloak and tugging him down by an inch, at best.

"You say that now, but don't go complaining when you sprout a bump the size of Mars on that forehead of yours." His thumb jabbed at the small bump, causing her to cringe and jerk her head away from him as she pushed at him. "Is your forehead not already big enough for you, Pinkie?"

"Have you not already suffer enough blows to your male ego when I kicked your ass at the Chuunin exams that your asking for another one right now?"

It was a challenge he wasn't willing to back down from, and who knew what would've become of the nearly chakraless girl had Itachi not stepped in to put an end to their scuffling. Knowing Sakura at a younger age, he couldn't say much has changed since he last saw her so many years ago. She was still stubborn, reckless, and hot-tempered. He hadn't expected anything less than a curse the minute she woke up.

The second time she came around, still on the pervert's shoulder although he did refrain from touching anywhere inappropriate, she realized her arms were still in front of her and the sjy had darken dramatically. With the way the air sweetened and the humidity spiked, it was obvious that it wasn't just because the sun was setting. Taking in the time of day, she lightly wondered how many days have passed since she was taken, and worse, if Sasuke had woken up and found out about it yet.

How he reacted to the news wasn't something she wanted to try and figure out, and looking up to the man who ran calmly behind her, all she could do this time was glare and hope that maybe her face was frightening enough to give him a heart attack.

"Behave yourself, Sakura. Or I will be forced to subdue you again." Itachi warned, watching her face contort from her regular frown to a scowl as she went a step farther and roll her eyes.

"Please do. It'll be much better than staring at your face the whole way."

The vibration washed through her again as her carrier's body rumbled in a chuckle. Then altogether she felt herself drop a couple meters, landing in a clearing which fallen trees bordered. No doubt the place was used as a camp site long ago, considering how the trees perfectly aligned in a triangle. What luck these two men were finding.

"Kukuku, looks like it's going to be a storm." Kisame stated, carelessly letting her slide off his shoulders and onto the ground.

Great, everything was just perfect. Kidnapped by criminals, where she wanted to cook one and strangle the other, only to be dragged out into a storm was exactly how she imaged the outcome of the Chuunin exams. Sadly, that wasn't as sarcastic as she would hope it to be because what was happening now was pretty darn close as her vision.

Crawling to get onto her feet, she stood to take in how her knees were stained with mud and the scratches that weren't there during the exam now decorated her body. The way the giant was looking down at her with this smug look turned her body hot and angry for a quick second before she found her resolve.

"Great, now you don't have to worry about drying out and suffocating, Fishie-chan." She snapped, not even holding his glare and bending down to brush off the dirt. If she actually cared that Kisame took a threatening step closer to her, she didn't show it. Instead, she turned to wipe the other knee before sitting down altogether on the log, like she belonged there, and waiting for them to get on with what they were doing like she had any say with the situation at hand.

Before the situation got out of hand, as it had the last time she woke up, Itachi stepped in and sent the bickering couple separate ways; Kisame would go to look for food, while she accompanied him on securing the perimeter.

Although Kisame had left a little over three minutes ago, Sakura still sat on the fallen tree, doing her best to beat the Uchiha at a staring contest. That was next to impossible, but when curiosity got the best of her—on top of craving a bittersweet juices of revenge—she wanted to see just how far she could push the man before he snapped. The worse of it all, if one could even call it worse than the position she was put it, he'd kill her.

Deciding that the man's patience was impeccable, she rose to her feet in one fluid motion and marched right over to him. Without a word, he turned and walk, stating that she shouldn't even entertain the idea of escaping, since it would be next to impossible.

That earned him a snort as she followed behind him, making sure to keep the distance between them to be a minimal of three feet.

"Please," she said, watching the way his ponytail swayed while her fingered twitched to grab him by it and tank it right out of his pretty, little head, "I'm not that stupid."

_I just have, _as Sasuke loves to call it, _Naruto moments._

The silence between stretched longer than what she was comfortable with. Hanging around Sasuke and Naruto, the peace never lasted more than five minutes, even when she would be alone with them on different occasions. Naruto always had something to talk about, while Sasuke had something to tease her about. Obviously, Itachi wasn't Sasuke, and for a brief moment, something microscopic in her actually wished to be with Kisame who, besides being big, blue, and dangerous, reminded her for Naruto in the way he was so easily challenged.

Being alone with the clan killer was not her cup of tea, and the more she came to a standing with the fact that it was only her, Itachi, and trees, the more she grew uncomfortable. No doubt death was already around the corner for her, despite whatever their leader wanted with her, but the more she thought about it, the more she come to terms that that was her reality.

Running actually started to sound pretty good right about then.

Arriving back at to their second-hand campsite, she actually found herself relieved when Kisame's back was turned to them while he hunched over and gutted the fish he caught. Grinning like a child at Christmas morning, she hurried over to him and sat down on a couple feet in front him, waiting for him to look up before she declared war.

Too mesmerized in watching his large hand at work, she hadn't noticed Itachi leaving and returning with wood until she felt a blast of wave and everything around her was tinted in a reddish, orange glow. And lifting her head to look at him, she noticed how he was watching carefully, reminding her of the way the Hokage stared her down in his office.

Rolling her eyes at the memory, she moved herself closer to Kisame in order to hide her body from the unwelcome gaze from the Sharigan user. Sadly, this meant she was sitting a inch too close that she was practically brushing up against him.

"Is there something I can help you with, Pinkie?" The father of all fishes asked, stopping briefly to glanced over at her.

"Nope, just continue to do what your doing and don't mind me." She said quickly, her eyes quickly glancing around as she was twitches and jerks from the fishes here and there.

"Any reason why you're so close to me?"

"Just hiding from the bastard's stare."

At that Kisame turned his head to look over his other shoulder, and sure enough, Itachi was casually leaning against the tree bark, staring at him—or right through him to the girl. Chuckling as he returned to work, he said nothing as he hurried with his task.

Quite frankly, it was amusing to watch Sakura react so childishly even after all these years. It wasn't unexpected in the least, but then he hadn't truly comprehended that she would lash out even after the danger she knew she was in. In all honestly, he expected her to cave the moment she realized she could no longer depend on her demon nor her chakra. This wasn't some tough guy act that they forced through fear that most victims did to try to throw them off their game.

Sakura was genuinely at home with them and Itachi couldn't decide if it was unsettling because she wasn't scared of him, or because she acting like she was a part of them.

When Kisame finally removed himself from the spot he was sitting to roast the gutted, skewered fish over the fire, Sakura remained as she was on the ground; arms crossed over her knees as she stared distantly at the remains of the scaly animals. Then slowly she ran her fingers through her long locks and tossed on side over her shoulder before turning to stare at man, who hasn't turned his gaze from her since he returned, analytically until her eyes knitted and shook her head.

"You have no idea what you've just done, Uchiha. No fucking idea." She laughed, lowering her legs until she sat with them crossed at the calves and her hands were free for emphasizing.

Still, the stoic man said nothing. Simply continued to lean against the tree with his arms crossed over her chest, staring at her like she was another pebble on the ground. If she didn't know better, she would've said he hadn't heard a single word she said to him—but only an idiot with think that since, being the infamous Uchiha Itachi slash child prodigy slash former heir to a great clan which he slayed, he heard everything and saw everything with those red eyes of his.

Every part of her wanted to march up and smack some emotion into him, but fortunately for the man, she couldn't channel her inner Naruto at the moment. Instead she lip her and clawed at her knees. If Kakashi thought she was insane with worry and swamped with stress at the Chuunin exam, then he had no idea what in God's name she was feeling now.

"Did killing your whole fucking family not do it for you, but you had to waltz right into Sasuke's life again and make everything five billion more times worse than they already were?" Her head bobbed with the words she spoke, her hands raising and lowering as she emphasized certain words, and all in all, she hadn't missed the way Kisame glanced between her and Itachi and did his best to make himself invisible while preparing dinner. "Because you couldn't wait 'til I killed the snake-bastard to take me away. Couldn't wait until we were somewhere private to make your move that now the whole fucking town knows that the godly Uchiha Itachi has kidnapped Haruno Sakura while her best friend, and the murderer's brother, is in the fucking hospital because some bitch decided to role-play some vampire fantasy and bit him in the fucking neck!"

Ever so slightly, Itachi's eyebrow rose half a centimeter and Sakura couldn't help but smugly think, _Yeah, that's right, you didn't know_, but she wasn't finished just yet.

Cracked up by the little spitfire's spunk, Kisame watched as she covered her face with her hands, curled into her lap and screamed that this whole thing was _fucking ridiculous _while his partner didn't do so much as blink at her outburst. And then she groaned loudly, moving her fingers to her roots as if to rip her hair clean off her head.

"What do you guys know about Orochimaru?" And just like that she did a one-eighty; sitting up with this calm expression on her face and casually asking them for information like they were in a meeting while, in reality, she was their prisoner.

Finally, because the heaven granted her mercy, she saw Itachi's eyes narrow as she spoke the bastard's name. With the little pieces she provided earlier in the complaint, _snake-bastard_ and_ bit him in the fucking neck, _Itachi got a questionable idea of who she was talking about—although he wasn't she who else was so known for his usage of snakes.

Kisame snorted. "The creepy bastard left the organization a while ago. Went into hiding so the leader couldn't find him and kill him."

"Kisame."

"What? Kitty's gonna die anyway, it's not like she can tell anyone."

After muttering something about liking the name spitfire more than kitty and if he called her that again she would actually try to eat him this this like the fucking cat he called her, she said "I want to know his bites. These markings showed up on Sasuke's neck after he bit him and—"

She stopped there, apparently finally digesting that she really was talking to S-class criminals that could and would kill everyone she knew, and it was best to reveal as possible while finding out everything she wanted to know. At the same time, she didn't want to relive seeing him as he did after he woke up to her facing off three men when Lee didn't even let her fight. With the poor boy who declared his love for her on the ground, jumping into her battle without her permission when she could've sent the three running home with their sound blasting out of their asses, Sasuke woke up to a frightening situation—though seeing him the way he was was much scarier.

"Well, whoever's bitten has a one in ten survival rate if I remember correctly." The larger man said, pulling the three skewers from the fire to examine them. There wasn't a care in his voice that he teammate is dying, and the thing was, she didn't there to be but it still picked at her nerves because...

"Sasuke's gonna die."

"Kuku, he tried coming after Itachi before, but man, scared him so bad he left Akatsuki."

Like the time with Haku, the only thing he mind comprehended was "Sasuke's gonna die" and "Itachi's responsible for one, denying the snake-bastard, and two, taking her away."

"Ah, so Sasuke _is_ dying because of you, Uchiha." How nonchalantly she said it made both Kisame and Itachi regard her warily, and looking up at her, Kisame saw that she had this thoughtful look on her face. "Because not only does he have no one to feed him, but because you rejected a perfectly reasonable offer to become stronger at a one in ten survival rate, and because you also kidnapped me when I had chance of saving him from the fucking man by killing him."

"Don't be foolish. You cannot defeat him." That voice deprived of every emotion except that which was mocking her rose her body temperature by another five degrees and turning to Kisame, she flashed him a strain smile that made even him double think if she was actually killing at that second, but he just didn't know it.

Cautiously, he handed her her potion of their meal, making sure not to let his skin brush with her just in case doing do would set off a bomb of some sort. She took it gratefully, like that flash of killing intent while she smiled at him or ranted on about how Sasuke was a dead man wasn't present the whole time.

Then again, Kisame should've known better.

"Do not force us to tie you to a tree and hand feed you, Sakura."

"Well, wouldn't that be a sight to see: Uchiha Itachi hand feeding his pink-haired captive."

"Are you trying to kill him with a stick, pinkie?"

"I will not tell you again, Sakura. Behave."

"Only after I kill you and offer your corpse to the snake-bastard."

"Man, don't waste the fish!"

* * *

Sakura's kidnapping spread through the village like wildfire. Though it was mostly discussed within the shinobi society, the civilians of the village picked up on the gossip and twisted into their innocent story of "Two bad shinobis kidnapped a little pink hair shinobi during one of the shinobi tests." One would think that coming from a civilians mind and mouth, it would sound much more horrific than it really was, but considering their ignorance, their version was nothing more than a bad children's story compared to reality.

Two bad shinobis were missing-nin Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame while little pink hair shinobi was Haruno Sakura. Along the lines of that, they forgot to leave out the detail that the _two bad shinobis _took out the super strong league of shinobis known as the ANBU squad and made an escape without leaving a trace of the direction they left in.

The first thing the remainder of Team Seven did once Sasuke was released from the hospital was steal him away to the training grounds. It was better with Kakashi there when the boy learned about what happened to Sakura than for him to hear it while strolling through the streets because of some gossipy passersby. Konoha had suffered enough from one Uchiha, they definitely didn't need another angry Uchiha rampaging through the streets.

Sasuke was anything but an idiot. With the way the nurses at the hospital sent him wary glances, along with the same looks he received while wandering the streets to the training ground, he only thought of the worse when he got to their original spot to find one of his teammates MIA. Not only did Naruto have a gloomy look on his face and the fact that Kakashi was on time for the first time in history, the whole absence of Sakura throughout his hospital stay and the fact that the girl was hardly ever late spoke volumes.

Before Sasuke got a word out, Kakashi gestured to the tree and told the both of them to sit down. But it wasn't until both Kakashi and Naruto got a chakra enhanced rope around his body did Sasuke really got the message that something was really wrong with Sakura. What he expected was she either died or was really injured during her match during the preliminaries.

"Your brother kidnapped Sakura." was not something he expected to hear in a million years.

For a while, Sasuke just sat there with that look of horror in his eyes. He even looked to Naruto at one point and hoped that the blonde would irritably laugh and say "Just kidding." But Naruto didn't, and Naruto wouldn't, and it was then and there that Sasuke realized he hadn't any other option in his life but to accept that that was the truth.

"No." Sasuke finally said, hanging his head as he tried to flex against the binds. "No, no, no, nonono!"

"Calm down, Sasuke."

"Calm down? Do you expect me to calm down when my brother has Sakura?" He tried against his binds again—hard enough to draw blood which made Naruto's shoulder hunch just a bit more while he stared at best friend. "I'm gone for a second and you let her get taken away by the man who killed my entire family!"

Kakashi's eye narrowed, disliking the tone Sasuke used on them both when in fact they did the most that they could under the Hokage's order. Sometimes Kakashi thought that was the problem. Sakura alone exploited the flaw of following one person in her match alone. Had Kakashi acted on his own and not waited for the Hokage then maybe he would've been able to prevent her kidnapping. Like it or not, he failed his team again, but this young man in front of him had no right to accuse them of anything when placed in the same situation, he would've been just as powerless.

"What would you have done if you were there, Sasuke? Did you, a genin, think you would've been able to save her when a room full of jounin's couldn't?" Kakashi asked carefully, lowering himself to come eye to eye with the enraged teenager who would turn the village upside down and inside out if it meant he could get within an inch of his elder brother. "Your brother and his partner took out squads of ANBU from under our noses. Even with you there it would not have made a difference."

_In fact, it would have made it worse. _

"What do you expect me to do now, Kakashi? Do you expect me to sit here while my brother does who knows what to Sakura?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I expect you to do." Then Kakashi inched forward, his single eye leveled with Sasuke as his gaze darken. "You have the final match of the Chuunin exam to worry about. If you want to get anywhere close to beating your brother, I suggest you try and pass the exam first."

"WHAT!?" Their third member piped up, sprinting over to Sasuke's side to face his sensei in the eye. "I thought we were here to form a plan to get Sakura back!"

"Naruto..." The man sighed, pushing himself up and scratching the back of his head. It was at times like these that he specifically wish their pink-haired member was with them. One look from her and both of them would sit down with their legs crossed, their fingered linked together in their lap like good little students. "You were there when the Hokage gave the order for ANBU to pursue them and if I'm not mistaken, you have to train for the final match as well."

"But...but...It's been a week and nothing! Are we suppose to depend on the fancy schmancy ANBU? Who says they're even looking?"

"You saw what Sakura could do." Their sensei answer in a dangerously low voice, causing Sasuke to question exactly what happened when he was knocked out and sit quietly for the man who tied him to a tree stump to continue. "The Hokage would not give up on someone of Sakura's caliber so easily."

"S-Sakura's cal—you mean she's strong, right?"

That wasn't news to Sasuke. Time after time with all the hours they've spent together growing up, Sasuke had managed to coax Sakura into a spare a handful of times. He always ended up having his ass handed to him, but she always made light of the situation by congratulating him and telling him that he was improving. There was a reason why she was placed on a team with Naruto, but having Kakashi and the Hokage acknowledge it was a different story entirely.

Truth be told, Sasuke had never witness the extent of her powers. A spar was a spar, and they were never given a mission with the opportunity that would've allowed her to demonstrate her potential besides the one to the Wave Country. But even then she only showed a smidgen of it when she effortlessly eliminated the water clone to provide them with the opening, and during their final battle on the bridge, she passed out.

Now for her ability to one hundred percent guarantee the Hokage would be working the ANBU's butts off to find her was something Sasuke didn't fully understand. Just how strong was Sakura?

Kakashi chuckled. "Strong enough to hold her own against your brother and his partner, Sasuke, strong enough to hold her own..."

Sasuke remained quiet, trying to imagine what a battle between Itachi and Sakura must've been like. The battle would've been similar to that of Kakashi and Zabuza's, yet more intense and deadly—if that made any sense—since it concerned such a psychopath. His mind tried to picture what it would be like for Sakura and Itachi to engage in hand-to-hand combat before switching to ninjutsu and genjutsu. The profanity pouring out of her mouth with every hit she delivered and took and how she would have the nerves to sass mouth such a dangerous criminal before losing.

Even after a week Kakashi still couldn't fully comprehend the idea that Sakura would've been able to beaten, if not match, his ability if he ever beckoned her for a real battle. Now it was obvious why his respected title meant so little to her, but he couldn't understand why she let herself stay at such a weak level when she could have made jounin or ANBU easily.

Kakashi had tried discussing the topic with the Hokage once before, but the man provided very little help when it came to the mystery that was Team Seven's female member. He even went against the code and asked the Hokage about the meeting he had with Sakura—no, damn near demanded to know. There wasn't much that could've been done then, and he wasn't sure what finding out about Sakura could've done for them then, but the gods would've called bullshit if Kakashi had said he wasn't as curious as the boys when Sakura left the Hokage office that day.

All the old man provided him in the end was that "Yes, I knew Itachi and Sakura were antiquated with each other before the massacre" and "Indeed, Sakura would've done well in ANBU." Besides that, Kakashi left with the desire to rip his hair out by the roots.

"So, now what? We're suppose to continue on like this never even happened?" Naruto asserted, plopping down right beside his teammate with that fiery, determine like which could best Sakura's.

"Don't worry, you two, whatever it is they have in mind doesn't involve killing off Sakura." Kakashi said evenly, releasing the ropes around Sasuke little by little while watching him carefully to make sure he doesn't pull a fast one. "She said their leader wanted her alive."

"Alright! So that means we have a chance!" The blonde holler, jumping to his feet in one blink of an eye and tearing off Sasuke's binds in another. "C'mon teme, if we train hard enough and become chuunins, the old man will send us on a rescue mission to get Sakura-chan back."

"Hn."

"Alright Kakashi-sensei, we're ready to train!"

"Hn!"

* * *

_For a secret organization, they aren't very secretive. _Sakura thought as she found herself riding the shoulders of none other than Kisame again. Her hands were bound behind her back once again and, this time, there was a cloth over her mouth. She supposed they were going travelling to a hideout the minute she woke up the first time, but what she suspected in her return of that was that they blind fold her as they got nearer. _But then again, I'm probably never gonna see daylight again_.

That, or they had decided the blindfold was best suited around her yap.

As they made their way up the side of the mountain which overlooked the lights of the large village a couple miles away, she couldn't help but be face to face with Itachi once again since he felt the right to trail behind Kisame just to annoy her. But thanks to the cloth over her mouth, she couldn't make faces or insult him into next week. After the campfire incident four days ago, she wasn't allowed to have her hands in front of her and—get this—was hand fed by Kisame.

So, she was right that Itachi wouldn't feed her, and if she wasn't so hungry, she may have bit Kisame's hand instead of the food he was feeding her. Their last stop was a two days ago, this time in a little hunt with comfy beds. Correction, what would've been comfy had they not tied her to the one of the legs the bed that belonged to Kisame just to assure she wouldn't escape in the night. They were "generous" enough to give her a pillow and a blanket, but seriously, who could sleep with a cloth over their mouth and hands behind their back.

Flattering. It was flattering—and a complete nightmare—that with her chakra and demon sealed they still saw her enough of a threat that she had to be tied by the wrist to the bed leg. But if you asked Sakura, it was more a complete nightmare than it was flattering.

If she didn't know any better, she could say that with how long her arms were behind her back and the violent way that Kisame ran that they may she dislocated her shoulder—if her left one wasn't already dislocated from her battle with Kisame. Sakura didn't expect them to be gentle or kind with their prisoners, but hey, you can't blame a girl for getting irritated with it.

As they reached yet another ledge, which Sakura had initially thought was so they could rest since they had been travelling for two days straight, she was taken aback when Kisame lowered her from his shoulders and began to undo the cloth around her mouth. The first thing she did was lick her lips, the next was take a lung full of air, and the last was set her eyes in a glare and her lips in a pout.

Kisame rolled his eyes, and setting a firm hand on his shoulder, he gave her a spin and shove. In front of her was a cave and Itachi, and that was when the fear started pumping through her along with the adrenaline. With a stick and charkaless abilities, she managed to land a scratch on Itachi's cheek, but now in a cave where their leader was probably hibernating inside, she was running out of ideas.

"Okay, Sakura. Let's do this!" She growled, jumping over her wrist and setting them in front of herself for extra precaution. That rewarded her with another shove where she ended up sandwiched between the great Uchiha and Kisame.

Their voyage down the bear cave and Sakura's potential doom was filled with nothing but Sakura's light skipping to give her body and mind something else to focus on. No less than three seconds in, the cave began to rumble and the light at the end was blocked.

The only thoughts that passed through her mind was this definitely wasn't heaven, and she's in hell.

Eventually, after—in Sakura's belief—years of walking, she walked right into Itachi's cloak covered, toned back, and grumbled. Beneath the curses and the complaint, a door clicked open and warm light shone through the pitch dark tunnel. Half her mind wanted to ooh and ahh at how comfortable everything looked in the Akatsuki hideout and go throw herself onto the rug, but the other, logical half of her was welcoming her to her end—or whatever their leader wanted to with her.

Itachi took a step forward, and she took two steps back. Then, just because Kisame loved controlling a woman who humiliated him, the fish bastard shoved her hard enough that she was stumbling through the door and almost passed Itachi had he not stuck his arm out to steady her. Quickly composing herself and turning around in a glare, she was just about to headbutt the shit out of the fish again when a new voice stopped her in mind preparation.

"Sakura."

Instantly her spine straighten and bit by bit she turned around to face the owner. Right in front of them, on the second floor, was a man dressed head to toe in Akatsuki attire and piercings. Clearly he was the leader since Itachi bowed and stepped aside, but that wasn't what she was focusing on at the moment and the first thing out of her mouth, which earned a chuckle from the pet fish was:

"I'm gonna fucking kill you!"

The man only inclined his head in a nod before turning to Itachi and gesturing to the ropes around her wrist. But as the prodigy reached for her she jerked away, her eyes still locked with their leader as she brought the bindings to her lips and undid it with a fierce tug of her teeth.

"You may entertain that idea once our meeting is over." The Leader said, earning a quick glance from Itachi which she made a point to ignore. "Come, Sakura."

Surprisingly enough, Sakura complied willingly. Rubbing her wrist the whole way up the stairs and to the meeting room, she groaned something along the lines of "not another meeting" and "normal people send messages, not kidnappers." But what really caught the Uchiha's attention was the way she allowed their leader to place a hand at the arch of her back and the alarming detail alone that their leader was making any physical, borderline affectionate, contact.

* * *

_Weeeeell, I have no author's note except for those who have read my previous version or new readers who have read ahead, and that is: Ryuu does not exist. _

_Hoped you liked it, and I apologize for the chapter's shortness. Sorry!_

**_xoxo_**


	5. A Bitter Reunion

**Chapter Six: A Bitter Reunion**

* * *

The howling wind was heard as loud inside as it truly was outside. The temperature had only risen by no more than five degrees within the factory and neither of them could understand how the people lived in a place that was so cold all year round. Spring never came to this country—neither did any other season. Winter all year round, everyday, all day. One would think that the people would get tired of it, seeing that they had to deal with it from birth 'til death. However, they probably didn't know any other weather besides it.

Two figures dressed in black cloaks walked through the hallway with ease, stepping over the falling bodies of the guards that had been dealt with before their arrival. One was at least two heads shorter than the other was and their skinny figure hid under the black exterior of the cloak. The other stood tall and showed a bit of bulk in them. Their pace was even, seeming as though they were taking a mere stroll halfway through the mission.

"You go after the scrolls." Their cloaks stopped brushing against each other and for a moment, the tall figured felt completely lost. He depended on the rubbing of the cloaks from his partner to guide him through the dark hallway, but now he had to manage on his own. His partner's body flew onto the second floor and continued to walk without giving him any room for discussion or objection.

"Wait, what about you, un?" He tried, listening to the sound of his partner's steps fade into the distance. He knew that without his partner, he'd be lost, but he wouldn't admit that. What kind of Akatsuki member would he be if he couldn't find his way to complete the given mission—he had no idea what his partner was doing, going off on their own suddenly.

"I have something to take care of." Their voice slowly faded in with the air and he could no longer hear the footsteps. Deidara rubbed the back of his head and sighed. His partner sure was troublesome on missions. He looked around at the fallen bodies and decided that it was best to walk down the hallway on the first floor. His partner would cover the second and hopefully one of them would find the scrolls. Sure, his partner had something to take care of, but he was positive they wouldn't throw the whole mission away to take care of it—would they?

He huffed. _Better complete the mission quickly and meet up. Leader will be anything but happy if only one of us came back, un_.

On the other side of the factory, Naruto's body released pain as he skid along the tile floors. He supported his body with his palms and glared at his enemy. His arms shook warningly and he used whatever strength he had left to push himself forward into a hunch. He panted and he watched Dotou while his teammate and sensei stood back.

The mission they were given had proven itself to be more trouble than it was worth. Protecting and princess from her own uncle who had both turned out to a relative of Sakura's gave them no sense of satisfactory. The idea of Koyuki being family to Sakura didn`t make it worth more than they thought it would; it just made it more painful to handle. The two looked nothing alike, and the only thing that resembled them as family was the blood that ran through them. But every time they looked at her, they thought of Sakura and what she would want them to do. It simply irritated Kakashi that the two missions that his team were given were both somehow interconnected with the dispersal of the Haruno clan. Moreover, the man that they had to protect her from was a relative to both of them and either way, one of the two Harunos' blood had to be shed by their hands once again.

The Hokage mustn't have known of this though, and he tried telling himself that to ridden the anger he felt towards his superior.

Sasuke had withdrawn himself after the finding of who the actress really was. He didn't spare her a single glance her and he didn`t speak to her. He followed orders in protecting her and let the interaction between the princess and his team fall into the hands of Kakashi and Naruto. He found that there was no need for him to interact directly with someone who painfully reminded him that in the end she might be the sole survivor of her clan. There were four—as far as they knew—Kakashi killed one, Akatsuki killed the second, _may as well let her die along with the old man_. But he was aware that his conscience wouldn't let it down if he did that. He knew deep in his heart that if Sakura had known he disobeyed orders and let her cousin die because of the bitterness he felt for her death she wouldn`t forgive him for it. She would be more understanding towards the fact that they had killed her uncle as she was when Kakashi killed Haku.

Kakashi came to accept that this was something he was going to have to live with for the rest of his life. He was going to be remembered as the man who went off, killed any remaining members of the Haruno clan, and allowed one of them to die while it was in his power to save them.

Koyuki was a lot older than Sakura was at the time. The experience of it was traumatizing. Sakura had no memory of it, but the experience of going through it left the actress cold and heartless. Naruto wondered what it would be like if Sakura was present to take the mission with them. How would the heir to the thrown react to the person who led the downfall of the country and clan? Naruto shook his head again. Disappointment and anger ran through his blood at the realization of what he just thought; he just blamed Sakura for everything that had happen when he knew it wasn't her fault that a demon was sealed inside her like it was to him. _I'm becoming like teme._

He refused to let the bitterness eat away at him as it did to Sasuke.

He recovered from the last punch—or at least ignored the pain—and tried to get to Koyuki again. Relation to Sakura or not, this was a mission he needed to complete. Before being in arms reached of both Dotou and Koyuki, the collar of his suit caught onto the fingers of someone and his felt his whole body was thrown about a mile high. _Damn, those henchmen. _The height gave him enough time to flip over and land on the soles of his two feet and the convenient landing gave him leverage to go out into a charge again, but his body became unresponsive after he realized who had saved his face. The three who worked for Dotou stood in same spot they had been the whole time and so had Kakashi and Sasuke.

He wavered between the feeling gratefulness towards the Akatsuki member and feeling hate. Hate, in the end, was what took over him because all the member did was spare his face from another punch, but he would never be able to unclog his mind of the idea that they had murdered Sakura. They had proven themselves to be impatient people for traveling all the way to Snow just to retrieve him—another thing that fueled his hate. He perched himself on one knee and prepared for another charge to get Koyuki away from both Akatsuki and her uncle. The mission would be declared a fail mission if Koyuki was assassinated by Akatsuki while on a retrieval mission for him. They really had other problems to deal with besides Akatsuki.

The short Akatsuki member stood with their left arm up, blocking the left arm that purpose was meant to throw Naruto back a few feet. A small hand gripped it and twisted it with ease. The man fell to his knees instantly at the pressure and released his hold on the princess.

Naruto took the chance and motioned for her to come to him quickly and she would've have made it if Dotou's free hand hadn't caught her arm. She gasped in fright for a mere second before being released. Her body crawled before rising to a run to come by Naruto's side while he watched the helping hand they were receiving from an Akatsuki member. The member had abruptly stomped onto the shoulder that was connected to the arm that held the princess, smashing his whole body forward. Their small hand still gripped the left arm of Dotou and they just stood there, pressing whatever little weight they had on, and they were seemingly lost in what to do next. The member was a small thing and looked to be helpless and lost. Their face was masked by the shadow that the hood casted, but light showed their mouth—it displayed a frown. The cloak rustled and they found that the Akatsuki member had jumped up onto the thrown as Dotou was turning.

The cloak flared when member crouched and stared down at the man standing up below them. He rubbed his sore shoulders and glared upwards. How dare they make him drop to his knees with so much ease in their movements. The member was no taller than any of the young Leaf shinobis, yet they held enough power in one hand that it caused him to drop to his knees with only a twist of their wrist.

The glare didn't faze the small Akatsuki member and they just crouched and watched patiently, appearing to wait for Dotou to attack before pursing with any of their offense skills.

"Hey you!" Naruto called out suddenly, deciding that if they weren't going to attack him immediately like last time that he may be able to get some answers out of them. Even if he wouldn't live to come up with a plan to rescue Sakura if she was still alive, he knew that Sasuke and Kakashi and ANBU could—when did he become so noble? "What have you done with Sakura-chan?"

The member had opened their mouth to say something, but closed it before any words could escape. The mouth line descended at the corners again and the member sighed with the feeling of defeat. They were a confused member whose morals seemed to be all over the place. Were they just contemplating on whether or not to answer Naruto's question, disregarding the fact that Naruto was the enemy and that he just demanded something from them? The member didn't react on his question or behavior. They just stared at Naruto and turned their head to look over at Kakashi and Sasuke. Kakashi and Sasuke's body got prepared instantly, the glance from an Akatsuki member made their skill crawl. The organization provided them with very vivid and traumatizing demonstrations that they were no joke.

Like a starving man's hunger for food, Sasuke desired the answer to Naruto's question. His mind was hungry for the information of exactly what they had done to the third member of their team and he wanted to know immediately. A warning glance from Kakashi kept him in place, but the anticipation built within him. What the mission had morphed into was anything but humorous. Not only did they have to protect the princess, but also Naruto's life was at a higher risk of losing than anyone else's. Naruto had transition from being at the hero to the maiden in distress within seconds. Akatsuki worked quickly, it took fifteen minutes for Sakura to be taken and it won't take as long as that for Naruto. Reluctantly, he knew that Kakashi, Naruto, and he alone were not strong enough to fight an Akatsuki member and the four others, and if it was anything he learned in the past, it was that Akatsuki never traveled alone; another one was lurking within the building as they stood and watched.

As if rehearsed, Deidara casually strolled through the doors. He stopped abruptly in his tracks at recognition of how tense the room was and he was intruding. All of them just stood and stared at each other, none of them bringing themselves to mutter a word to anyone. He shifted sack of scrolls he had stolen from the room that he managed to locate after busting through every single room on the first floor. He was amenable to the event of him deciding to look on the second floor. It came to mind that he did not know much about his current partner. It never struck him that his partner was the one to throw away a mission for personal purposes, but on the other hand, his current partner had nothing to fear but fear itself. Death would be hard for someone who was protected all the time and Leader would not be one to attempt to deliver it.

His ocean blues eye took in the image before him in a general view before it zoomed in specifically on the blonde demon container. Rumor had it that they had been after him for a month, but Itachi's last attempt to steal him was interrupted by the interference of one of the legendary Sannin. So, his partner was looking at something bigger than the mission alone. What a smart partner he thought he had. He shifted the sack once again and took a single step forward before the voice of his partner stopped him. Little did he know that the minute he entered the room, his partner switched all of their attention to him.

"Don't you dare touch him, Deidara!"

Naruto swore his heart had contracted and his air passage had stopped working. The excitement and joy he felt for something that wasn't a fact was too overbearing for his little being to take—it wasn't new to any of them. "Sakura-chan!"

None of them could forget her voice even if they tried. It was smooth and light, even when she lectured and threatened them. Kakashi and Sasuke felt an emotion quite on the contrary to Naruto's. They wouldn't allow themselves rejoice on the fact of the true meaning behind her survival. The bitterness had overpowered the sweetness in this bittersweet outcome.

Deidara had stopped moving the minute her voice rung out. He cursed himself for being such an idiot on attempting to pursue Naruto and misplacing the knowledge that Sakura was from the same village as him. There was little to no chance that she would let him steal away Naruto before her very eyes and not do anything to stop it. He also seemed to misplace the knowledge that she did not join with her full consent, but it had been a month and Deidara's memory wasn't reliable.

He disregarded the death glare and watchful eye of the famous Copy-Cat Ninja because he didn't oppose as the threat in the blonde's eye and in silence, he watched as his partner hesitated to remove her hood. The hood had slid down the back of her head at a teasingly slow pace and she turned her head to look at her team and her eyes displayed a kind of sadness that words could not describe. It was beyond the pain she felt when Itachi had punched her because she knew there was hope, but there was no form that she could say her apology in to decree how truly sorry she actually felt. Her mouth parted to say something, but it closed again. She had nothing to say to them because sorry wouldn't be able to cut it. She avoided talking earlier because she knew her voice was recognizable by her teammates and she was aware of their presence on the land the minute Deidara's bird landed. It was her initial plan to penetrate the factory, let Deidara go on the hunt for the scrolls, and then kill the murderer of her clan and then leave without saying a word. She hadn't anticipated the idea of her former teammates being in the same room. She decided to not say a word and just carry on with her plan, but Deidara's pursuit pulled the words out of her.

Her elbows rested on her thighs and she leaned her mouth into it, debating on what actions were to follow her assassination of the Snow Ninjas. She stole a glance at Naruto and then to the woman who sat so comfortably beside him, using him as her protector and heat source.

"What are you doing, un?"

He had been watching her do absolutely nothing but steal glances at the three Leaf Ninjas. Her forehead rested on her hands and she sat in deep concentration for a minute or two before straightening her legs to rise to her full height. She smiled nervously at Deidara and let the dark material slide down her bare arms, revealing that she was only wearing a simple green tank top and black pants, but no shoes. "I—"

"Put your cloak back on, un!" He shouted and she jumped at his sudden outburst. He appeared behind her with a second and carelessly threw the material over her head in an attempt for her to cover herself up. She tilted her to look at him with furrowed eyebrows and wide eyes. His sudden action made no sense in her jumbled mind and it somewhat frightened her calm self. The idea of him suddenly pouncing came to mind and her once childish; Naruto look alike partner came to be a fidgeting, impulsive one. "Leader-sama's gonna kill me if you get sick."

His fear was far greater than anyone else in the room could come close to fathom. Leader would put the blame on him for Sakura's health if she was to come back sick and killing him wouldn't be an over exaggeration. The man cared deeply for Sakura in a way that only the people who have been around him could understand and his affection would leak through his actions in minimal ways. Sakura took what she got and she—along with the rest of the organization—was aware that his settle affectionate actions was the closest they were going to witness their leader showing any kind of emotion.

She just stared at his face, evidently unfazed by the worry he had for his well being. Her arms shot into the air and the heavy cloak flew backwards onto his head. The constant exposure that she had put up with for the previous month irritated her—now that was an understatement. She wasn't the one who bathed in attention and with all of the attention she was forced to take she could simply drown.

"Take care of those three." She stated, disregarding the concern he had for her well being for the sake of his. She motioned to the Snow Ninjas and looked at Deidara to make sure he understood which three he was to take care of. "The old man is mine."

It wasn't that she had simply disregarded the whole matter, not at all, she simply knew how to handle the situation if matters were to turn in that direction. The leader of Akatsuki inhabiting the feel of concern for Sakura's general health concerned Kakashi. The doubt he believed he had demolished after her kidnapping returned with the concern and he began to question her again. Had she or had she not been in contact with not only Itachi, but the leader of Akatsuki as well.

She descended the stairs in one fluid motion and flashed past the three henchmen that were now Deidara's responsibly to dispose. She stood firmly in front of Naruto and faced the man who she was positive wiped out nearly every single member of the clan—a statement that his opponent was no longer the three Leaf shinobis. "Who...are you?"

An explosion had gone off to her left, but she paid no mind to Deidara's kills. The man's eyes roamed her figure from head to toe. He took in her green eyes and long pink hair before looking her square in the face and smirking at her very existence. The similarity between her and her mother had not gone unnoticed. The pink hair and bright green eyes stood out like a needle in a haystack. She had inherited all of her mother's physical features and none of a typical Haruno. The Haruno clan had never been more than black hair and brown eyes, but a twisted befallen on them when his two brothers married two women with very different physical features than their own. Koyuki's mother had blue eyes and Sakura's mother had green eyes and pink hair.

"You look like your mother." His statement was returned with silence. "I'm your beloved uncle."

"I don't care who you are, I want a name." She demanded. She could no longer say she didn't understand what goes on in Sasuke's mind. She had known of it all along, but now she thoroughly understood the feeling that poured into the body of one who had so much hate towards someone. She finally understood it. The hate that ran through Sasuke's very being when he thought about his older brother. Every inch of her body urged her to not speak and waste him all over the walls.

"Huh-ah-ah." He began, waving his finger at her. Mockery dripped from his words and she raised an eyebrow at him. "Where are your manners?"

"Are you asking for a slow, painful death?" She growled, her fist tightening before releasing to examine the damage that she had done to herself again. Kakashi had witnessed her act of obliviousness to her self-harm, but that was only once. Evidently, family was a touchy subject and Kakashi was aware of the responsibly she decided she would own up to.

The display of malevolent in Sakura had taken Team Seven by surprise. As from the day they had all met up and matured into a team, Sakura showed nothing but amusement, irritation, curiosity, and sometimes nothing but a calm exterior. Her hands had never shed the blood of anyone, as her intention to kill was never present. Present in life or death battles were deep concentration and excitement, but a kill intent and anger never surfaced.

"You know," He laughed, closing his arms. "This would be a great reunion if your brother was here as well."

The preparation she put into embracing anything that this man was going to throw at her paid off well. Every whim of her wanted to gasp and cover her mouth and shout "I have a brother?" through the cracks of her fingers, but blinking and pursing her lips had settled the excitement and surprise in a tolerable manner. She would allow Naruto to be taken by Akatsuki before she gave the man any kind of pleasure, a habit she had picked up while participating in the twisted game with Itachi. She allowed egotism to take over when it came to situations involving the Uchiha and she put what she had learned into use in the fields. "Where is he?"

"If the cold and starvation hadn't killed him, then the explosion must have by now."

"Deidara, go find him." Turning her attention to Deidara, she gave him a stern look. The explosions stopped a minute ago and she couldn't just let him stand around. She knew she couldn't fight Dotou and keep Naruto safe at the same time. The set of circumstances were not in her favour. If she knew any better, she would say that the odds were set against her. The mission had begun as a simple retrieval mission for the scrolls at the Haruno base. It was Pein's way of allowing her out of the base after keeping her prisoner for a month. Deidara was a convenient partner in many ways, and if anyone else were to have taken his place than trouble would have stirred the minute they set foot into the factory.

"But that's not part—"

"That's an order." Her face has twisted fully to face him and her eyebrows rose to dare him to argue with her command. His head turned back and forth between Naruto and Sakura before he complied and set the sack of scrolls down and exited the room without a word.

Eyes narrow and Sharingan present, Kakashi couldn't have made it any more conspicuous that he had fully declared Sakura a traitor. The event that engraved in Kakashi's mind had proven that she was in power over an Akatsuki member. She was stronger than an Akatsuki member—another one—and she was registered as an authoritarian figure. He had hoped he was mistaken all those times, but everything she had done up to this point in time did nothing to disprove his theory.

"Don't make the stupid choice your parents made and hand yourself over." The back of Sakura figure faced them, but she hadn't moved an inch in a while. If they had seen her face they would have known her jaw twitched and that the glare could burn a hole through the walls that one could see the other side of the castle.

"And what stupid choice would that be?" She questioned, implying for an elaboration on his very vague statement. She was blind to the idiocy her uncle saw in her parent's choices. Their choice of not handing her over to the man who would've raised her on evil and greed may have spared the lives the remaining few of the clan.

"Keeping you and murdering the clan."

If she hadn't been glaring at him the whole time, he may have taken it that his words finally had some effect on her. But the only thing that distinguished her from a statue was her human necessity to blink and breathe. She remained still and glared at him for a good five minutes. The five minutes felt like an eternity for the anxious Leaf shinobis who kept a watchful eye on the door and Sakura.

The whole situation was an odd one. Team Seven looked forward to meeting Sakura's brother while Sakura had forgotten the reason why she sent her loud, worrisome partner out the door to begin with. The turn of events were not of the importance, but the fact that Sakura was alive and in their presence meant something to them each. It was an undeniable feeling that they chose to deny for the sake of loyalties to the village.

"Don't try to pin this on them." She said evenly, sounding too nonchalant for the taste of anyone in the room. _Too mature for her age, _Kakashi reminded himself, a reminder that fitted the situation too perfectly. It took years for shinobis to hide their emotions perfectly, and Kakashi was still in the process of perfecting it. The way Sakura had done so made it seem painfully easy, _but they were probably tricks she picked up at Akatsuki. _

"Indeed I have been mistaken, you murdered this clan."

"Shut your face." The response came at the ending of his statement. The hoarse squeak in her voice reassured Kakashi that he wasn't the only one having to bare the trouble of masking his emotions and her voice leaked of pain, an occurrence that had happened twice in her life that she could recall—she was so good with this situations. The man had flown by them at speed so quick their eyes couldn't register the movement, thrown with unfathomable force and strength. Sakura eyed the man who laid unwillingly on the ground and did nothing as his rising looked painful and empathetically.

"Sakura-chan..." Naruto whispered, witnessing behaviour that was anomalous to every person in the room. She in took air through her nose and released it through her mouth, allowing the cold air to cool down her hot system. Disappointment warmed the pits of her stomach and realization of her impulsive action and rage allowed her to think clearly for a second before she was concluded that behaviour such as this was permitted under the circumstance. The man didn't deserve any sympathy for what he had done and the reason behind it.

His coughs bounced off the walls of the room, but she cared not for his suffering. "Your very existence—"

"Shut up!" Her hand fisted the cloth that peaked from behind his armor, holding his body up by the cluttered material around the cloak. The man had the ability to stand, but his feet chose not to respond correctly.

She had always known in the back of her mind that the death of her clan was her fault when looked through the chain of events. Her brain had already registered her as an underlying cause of the deaths; it dawned in her mind the day she met Haku. She did what she could to not pay attention to nagging voice of her conscience and its constant reminder that everything was her fault. The constant ramming of the idea from her uncle brought upon the guilt and acceptance she refused to take.

"Are you really going to kill me? Another member of the family?" His words hung in the air and Sasuke watched the man with understanding of a family massacre survivor. The two of them each held responsibility as a murderer and a victim—one more than the other. Sakura's ownership of the demon sparked the whole problem and Dotou caused the whole problem. Sakura had fell a victim of a fate she could not decide and Dotou fell a victim of his own greed.

He knew how to work people and manipulate them with words. He saw the hesitation and guilt in her eyes as she stared at him, her eyes going over his being thoroughly. She contemplated how she would look at herself if she let his blood stain her hands, his blood, a blood of a Haruno. His blood would be the blood of the first person she ever spilled and they say your first time is never forgotten, ever.

"You're not family, don't kid yourself." She growled, her hands twisting into the shirt so tight it wrapped around his neck. The doubt and guilt that burned her guts were replaced with the burning of hate in her heart and lungs. She would be a fool if she let an opportunity like this slip away. His fate was decided the day he murdered the clan. It was either she be the one to spill his blood or Kakashi's.

No warning came. The ground burst through with ice spears and pieced past his armor. His final word consisted of a grunt and agonizing sound and she released his form to let his body slid down the spears in the most gruesome looking way. The sound resembled slime hitting a solid surface and the skin on her arms and neck tingled and crawled. His eyes bulged from his eye socket like ping pong balls and his mouth filled with his own blood, drowning him while he expired.

She took several steps back to survey her doings and the feelings came flooding. Sakura felt like someone had taken her by the neck and shoved her body underwater to face up to everything that was true. Her eyes gained a ton and her legs buckled under the pressure. The guilt had built within her the moment she gave permission to Neko to kill him and a part of her wished she allowed him to live. There were only three of them left, and even though she had to admit it was better than only one of her, the devastating idea that it was deducted to four because of her haunted her soul. It tugged on her heart like a lost soul trying to find itself.

_It is all my fault,_ she thought and her fingers tried feebly to cover the sound of her hiccups and gasped as she cried. _I did all of this._

Naruto washed helplessly because even in his dim mind he knew a simple hug and an "everything's going to be okay" wouldn't fix the problem. Looking back at Sasuke did nothing to help, the Uchiha had looked away the second she fell to her knees and cried into her hands. Throughout their years, Sakura had never displayed such pain.

A facade of a strong woman kept the weak one inside and eventually it became a habit that she couldn't tell which one of her was real. A strong woman was routine, but inside trapped a weak one who kept all the pain and hurting. Sasuke felt as helpless as Naruto, something they had always felt when Sakura was in a tough situation. They didn't know how to get her out of her problem with Akatsuki and they didn't know how to save her from herself. She was out of their league the whole time and they hadn't come to terms with it until now. The young Uchiha glanced up at Kakashi for some idea of what to do, but he just stood there, rubbing the back of his head while his former student turned herself inside out.

He felt sorry for her. It was painful to watch his student go through this and the irony could not be ignored. He presented the team with the idea of the enemy holding Sakura hostage and asked her what she would do if the life of Naruto was threaten to save Sasuke's. She attacked him and smirked, stating that he would know what to do when the time came, but he didn't. He hadn't a clue what to do now that she faced the situation in which she had to put the life of someone who had some value to her just to save the life of another dear one—herself, her cousin, and her brother.

Dotou wasn't a kill to be proud of. It burned her throat and eyes, just knowing that she had killed a man who was family to her, despite her opposition to the idea earlier. The hands of guilt twisted her insides until it made her nauseous. Her body hunched over and she gagged and choked, the floor mixed her tears and saliva, and she gasped, desperately trying for air.

The door howled open and the people in the room jumped. Sakura remained oblivious and continued to drown in her own tears. "I found him—I—Sakura-chan, un?" The blonde stopped again and cursed the room, along with everyone in it. A dark headed boy stood behind him, his eyes lifeless and his skin pale. He looked at everyone in the room with disinterest, but his eyes sparked life at the sight of Sakura before it became dull and curious.

What caused the bones of the blonde to turn cold and ache was the sight of Sakura bawling on the floor. He wished it was Sasori on this mission instead of him; he didn't do well with the tears of women. Sasori had confided in him that when he found Sakura she was crying, and it was a secret that she asked him to keep, meaning he had to do so as well. The bitter part of his soul, the one he kept to himself, wished he were a puppet like Sasori. The tears of Sakura wouldn't cause his stomach to bubble and churn if he were a puppet.

He left the young man to stand alone and hurried to her side. His finger twitched with hesitation as it reached out to her, unsure of how to comfort her exactly. With Akatsuki as _home_ and living with grown men while being paired with an emotionless puppet, he had no experience of comforting a crying women, but he would be damned if he didn't try. He tried whispering her name to her, but every attempt was cut off by the heartbreaking sound her throat made. He looked up the three Leaf ninjas, somewhere in his eyes he asked for help, but none of them provided any. The Uchiha was watching from the corner of his eyes, the older man only stared at Sakura, and the Demon Container hung his head and watched sheepishly.

His fingers grazed her neck and her hand rose quickly to deflect his hand, an action that took the blonde by surprise that he fell on his behind.

"Don't...touch...me." The words were bounded by her gasps for air. Her throat became painfully dry and her eyes were hot and dry, as though she had a close up with one of Sasuke's Fireball Jutsus.

"Shh, don't cry, un." He held her carefully and waited until she sunk into his arms that his embrace became protective. He rocked her while she sobbed into his shoulder, continuously hushing her every time she hiccupped. What they couldn't do was left for an Akatsuki member to take care of and that made them question how much they cared for her. They understood that what he was doing, any of them could have done, but it was their refusal to go into an awkward situation that stopped them. It didn't bother them much that he was comforting her, no, it bothered them a lot it he was the one to do it.

"Hey! Don't touch her with your dirty hands you creep!" Naruto shouted, quickly getting on his feet to protest.

It was fast enough that it could've given him whiplash, the way he turned his neck to glare at Naruto. Occupied with Sakura, he didn't expect him to react as fast as he did to his protest. "Buzz off, brat, un."

The room flooded with sound of silence. A tense aura over took the room and Sakura hadn't done as much as quiet herself that her breathing couldn't even be heard by Deidara. Deidara had presumed her as asleep and gentle moved himself to back to take a good look at her. Her eyes stared into nothingness; half-lid green eyes stared remorsefully at the cloak that covered his chest. She peeked from under long, thick lashes and raised her head slowly. Her head tilted back and over to the right and she drew in the image of the man that stood silently at the doorway.

The dark black hair and the dull green eyes, she looked over every inch of him. His face was narrow as hers, but his chin was strong. His cheekbone stuck out as sharply as his collar done, a feature that Sakura detested immediately. The boy would be no taller than Sasori and he appeared as though he hadn't ate in days, she noted.

Her eyes finally travelled upwards from the bones that stuck out in his shoulders to meet the eyes that had been watching them the whole time. Through the tears and hair that clung to her face, she peeked from the dark clothing that covered Deidara to see him watching emotionlessly. Then, like a gust of wind that had changed the temperature and atmosphere, she recalled why she had sent Deidara out of the room and realized who that man must have been. Her tears stopped immediately. He made her realize the good that was physical enough for her to believe; the death of their uncle had freed a boy how had been imprison while she lived life freely. The thought of it didn't make the whole situation better, but it made her feel less guilty about killing a man who killed her family. She inwardly laughed at the irony.

"Is that him?" She whispered, settling herself on heel to kneel comfortably while watching the floor. She hadn't prepared for his existence and when she had sent Deidara off to find him, something in her heart told her he would find nothing and she openly accepted the idea.

"That's what he says." He supported his weight with his hands and he watched Sakura lazily, but carefully. There was no mistake that Leader would notice the change in her eye, but a voice of hope told him that if he kept her from crying long enough then by the time they return her eyes turn back to normal. "He said his name was...un..."

"It's Ren." Seeming like her throat absorb the oxygen, the air never reached her. When he talked, the words like water flowed through her ear and she knew that for sure he was real. She had a brother, one that was imprisoned on the land while somehow she had escaped.

"I'm Sakura." She whispered, realizing that he already held the knowledge of that, but decided to state it anyways instead of saying nothing and letting the awkwardness hang around any longer.

"I know." He nodded, but if he was excited to see her, he didn't show it. He looked around again and his eyes landed on Kakashi who nervously—yes, nervously—looked back and forth from Ren and Sakura. He was glad Sakura didn't turn around or even acknowledge him, the man who played a bigger role in her life than she could ever imagine. But Kakashi wasn't the type to baste in glory, he did things on his own accord and the reward of glory was never in his taste. "Thank you, Hatake Kakashi, for bringing her back."

Pink threads smacked Deidara square in the face and he cocked his head awkwardly to take a good look at the man of the hour. Kakashi avoided eye contact by glancing at the ground, false ignorance masked his embarrassment.

"Bringing me back?" Sakura mouthed, turning her head to meet eyes with Deidara for reassurance that her hearing wasn't impaired. He shrugged and shook his head, unclear of what to tell her—he knew nothing. Her fingers grazed his kneecaps and his eyes flickered from the side of her face to her clenched hands. "What the hell is he talking about Kakashi-sensei?"

Anger clogged her emotions. Kakashi had been hiding a secret from her the whole time they had been partners and she was never the one who enjoyed surprises. Surprises were always foreign for her liking. They weren't praised upon in the ninja world and she took the liberty of hating them. They man knew more about her than she did and it stirred the liquid in her gut.

Kakashi was a man of few words. Small talk wasn't programmed into his being and he spoke when necessary and never brought up a subject that hadn't been discussed previously, held no particular relevance or importance. What he kept classified from Sakura had every right to be brought out into the open and he was aware that he should have done so on the first day.

"Ten years ago," He began, his icy, smooth voice sent shivers down her spine, but she listened intensively to the horror story. "when the Land of Snow was under attack, Konoha sent ANBU to assist with the evacuation of people from the land and I did the honors of rescuing you."

"But what about Ren?" She wanted him to know that she cared, out of the kindness of her heart or out of guilt she couldn't say.

"Someone else attempted to rescue me, but they died." His voice spoke with the coldness of the country, holding no remorse for the person who sacrificed their life to save him. Living the way he had for the last ten years, no one could blame him for his inability to feel or love. He was nothing more than a young boy at the time and Dotou had tainted his mind with mockery of his dead family.

"Deidara, give me five minutes, then we'll leave." Her voice dripped of authority and power that was fuelled by her anger.

Kakashi never felt so threaten than within her presence. He inwardly flinched every time she looked at him and he hesitated to blink while she was near him, fearing that the millisecond of darkness would give her the advantage to kill him.

Deidara rose without protest, seeing it didn't get him far in the past. His shoulder brushed with the young man's, but he didn't do much as blink. His eyes concentrated on his sister, the lucky one who escaped, the one who Dotou had programmed in his mind to be the cause of the death of their family. Regret tugged on the heart of Deidara's as he stepped into the frozen air, the wind dancing with his hair. He bet that when she came out in five minutes, the never ending river of pain and regret will stream down her face. Even if he were in the room, he wouldn't be able to stop it from coming, he figured that he could do one kind thing for her at a time like this—maybe that would get him out of trouble with the leader.

"Sakura-chan, you can't." Naruto said hoarsely, his tone mixed between a whisper and a shout. His heart skipped twenty beats when her words were so strongly spoken to Deidara as an order. She was so much younger and shorter than the man, but as though his life depended on it, he followed her orders. But these orders were different, so much more different than when she had ordered him to not lay a single hand on him when she first spoke. Her voice spoke of a promise, a promise to leave back to wherever the hell in five minutes and leave them all again. He never expected the reunion with her to be so bitter. Hell, he thought they would be the one to save her instead of her saving them as part of Akatsuki.

"I have to." Her voice was strong as rock—a smooth rock if Naruto had to comment. She looked at him with eyes full of regret for sounding so stern and she turned her head away to avoid his puzzled, agonized gaze. She turned back and looked at him, Sasuke, and Kakashi. They both avoided her glance by pretending she wasn't in the room, the walls and floor were much more interesting.

"Naruto, don't go near her." Kakashi hissed, still refusing to look at her because he knew it hurt her. He knew it screwed her inside caused her eyes to produce tears. She was such a fragile little thing.

"But Kakashi-sensei."

"She's the enemy now." He wished he could stop the shinobi part of himself from talking. It's nagging self kept reminding him that there wasn't enough to prove that Sakura wasn't on the other side the whole time, but he, himself, did his best to hush himself up by reminding it there wasn't enough evidence that she was.

"I won't believe that." Uncertainty hung to his words, a certainty of who he was trying to convince—Kakashi or himself.

"Me either." Sasuke took deep breaths and finally, after moments of her stubborn stare for him to acknowledge her, he turned and met her green eyes. He swore he never saw eyes that looked so hurt. His were black and full of hate; the hurt was diminished by it. He couldn't sort out how he felt, confusion had taken over the minute he realized she was an Akatsuki member. Confusion; the mix between want and need. He knew he needed to view her as a traitor, a despicable person who fooled them all, but in his heart he knew he didn't want to. He could never bring himself to hate someone who was there for him when no one else was. She took time away from herself to care for them all and the idea of her doing so to win them over will never be real in his mind. "Sakura-chan, why did you join?"

She open her mouth and his body tipped forward, making sure that he would hear every single word from her himself. If he did so, he would die satisfied, even if the reasoning was to give him the feel of betrayal. "I'm sorry."

"I don't want to hear your apologies. Why would you join them?" Sorry didn't mean anything anymore. It was just an empty word that filled no hole and covered no grounds. Sorry was such a promising word that people took for granted. Sasuke hated that word. Sorry promised something better for the future, that mistakes would be fixed and broken hearts would be mended, but sorry in this situation gave nothing but false hope.

"Because if I didn't then I would die." She whispered, only realizing then how selfish she sounded. She brought upon the feel of betrayal to the ones who once trusted her, all so her life could be spared. Death weighed more than betrayal on the scale of life, but death was something she took lightly while the older Uchiha made her realize betrayal hurt so much more.

A process of accepting her words was complete, but there was the virus of doubt. Kakashi came to believe those words instantly, Sasuke accepted it without question, and Naruto was just relieved he didn't need to think of her as anything less. But when doubt crept on the surface of his brain before fully penetrating his thoughts, his relief was put to an end and Kakashi questioned if it was all an act, once again.

"Come back with us Sakura-chan." That would put the end to their problem, he believed, Sakura could come back and live happily ever after with the rest of the citizens in Konoha. She had to join because she would die if she didn't, but now she was out in the open, they were there, and like Sasuke had said on the day she was captured, they were going to get her back.

"I can't." She wanted to come back, but a nagging voice in her head told her it was best to stay. Betrayal was something she didn't like to have nagging her, she couldn't do it to Pein. The complete trust he had put in her when she left the base earlier that morning was something she was fully aware of. She asked for the mission, he took time to think it over and said yes, allowing her to leave without hesitating. The destruction of Konoha was another thing she wouldn't put up with, another form of betrayal she needn't to deal with. If the circumstances were to ever come to, it would be her fault. Pein would flip Konoha inside out just to find her.

"Yes you can! We can just all run right now and that freaky blonde guy wouldn't have to know." If only life was as simple as Naruto made it all seem. Ignorance is bliss, she wished she was ignorant. She wished her thoughts could be silent for only a second and allow her to fall asleep with anxiety bubbling within her.

"No, I can't because that means all of Konoha would be destroyed!" She shouted at him and she pulled herself back at his facial reaction. She just wanted to believe it, believe that she was the victim here. That everything that had happen in the past hour caused her the most pain, but she knew it wasn't true. "I'm so sorry."

"Your apologies are so meaningless." She had been hearing the word sorry for the last while, and frankly, Koyuki was tired of it. With sorry, she expected something to be done about it, but Sakura did nothing but repeat those words as if she were just breathing it. "If you were really sorry you'd do something to change it, but you're not, you're—"

"Who the hell are you?" A client who was getting into a business that didn't concern her.

"She's your cousin, Sakura-chan!" Sakura had never been so mean. She was so welcoming of new people and loving to everyone, but within a month with those scumbags, she turned out so mean. They must have been picking on her and she had to get tough, there was no other reason for it.

"Well, here's another meaningless apology to you for getting caught up in all of this. I'm sorry that my existence caused the death of all the members of our clan. I understand if you hate me." The bitter pill had begun to take its effect again, the recognition that five minutes was concluding set it off. "Actually, I understand if all of you hate me."

She rose quickly, looked at her brother, and then turned her face to allow her brain to take the picture of the sour moment. She bid adieu with her head and turned to walk towards her brother, his position still at the only exit. Naruto's heart raced and brain ached to think of a way to get her to stay, to prevent her from returning a place that he knew none of them would ever be able reach. He couldn't let her slip from their grasps again, he just simply couldn't. Her absence made a hole in his heart and he didn't want to feel it again.

"What happened to your face?" Sasuke questioned and her eyes turned to meet her gaze. They were colder that time, more determined for something he wasn't aware of. She took Dotou down without a problem and Akatsuki obeyed her like a dog. The question manifested in his mind in the beginning, but the event of Dotou's death and Sakura's membership to Akatsuki distracted him and he wasn't sure why, but he had to know before she left.

Naruto stood in one fluid movement, ready to tackle her down if he had to so to make her come back with them. He would drag her back by the hair if he had to; he was prepared to do so. When she turned, he took his first step forward, but that was as far as he got. Kakashi had interfered again and held him from getting any further.

"Credits go to your brother for this bruise." She didn't turn to notice how his fist clenched and his teeth grinded together. The anger blinded him enough for him to become unaware that Sakura was drifting further away.

Her shoulder brushed with his brother's arm and he didn't even turn to watch her. The bloody body of their uncle was a lot more interesting, the way it hung so elegantly from the large spikes that stuck out of the ground seemed to intrigued him. Sakura hadn't expected him to say something to her and she knew that it would take a very long time before she could get her brother anywhere close to loving her. He didn't know what love was and he absolutely hated her. She also didn't have the time and bringing him with her wasn't an option. She wouldn't bring her brother to live with those people, not in that environment.

But when he asked "Will I ever see you again?" it stunned her for a second. She couldn't hear Naruto shouting for her to stay and her stomach jumped. She turned her head to see that his eyes stared ahead distantly, but he focused on his peripheral vision to see her. A part of him felt grateful for her help of setting him free, but that was as far as feeling went for him. Family was no more than people to him, it didn't mean shit. But he would try in exchange for his freedom because if it wasn't for her he would still be in that displeasure predicament and under to torture of his uncle. Uncle, family, none of that mattered anymore, so the death of the family didn't matter anymore.

"Why would any one of you want to see someone like me again?" Her laugh wasn't a light, sweet laugh that any of them remembered. It was so out of tune and lifeless—it broke their heart. Her figure replaced itself with smoke and Naruto finally pulled from Kakashi's hold. His arms burn from the warmth of Kakashi's rough hands, but he gave it no attention to something that was worth little importance.

"We can't let her get away again!" He insisted, running for the door but no one bothered to follow him. He wouldn't get anywhere, he had the ocean to get through and he wouldn't be travelling fast enough on boat. They were Akatsuki members, they surpassed many elite ninjas to be where they were and Naruto was a mere genin.

"Don't be a fool, Naruto. She's a part of the organization for her safety and all of Konoha's." _Her safety...All of Konoha's...safety..._ Kakashi knew those would make the blonde stop dead in his tracks. But even with those words, he didn't know who we was trying to convince. Himself or Naruto or the world.

Keenly and reluctantly, he hoped that the two left in the room were the only members left of the Haruno clan. He didn't want his team to deal with them anymore, there was always a bitter undertone when dealing with Harunos.

* * *

**I don't know about you guys, but I usually dislike OCs when I'm reading fanfiction which is odd in a way. So, just to clarify, there aren't going to be many in this story and they also won't be playing a significant role. **

**I don't own Naruto or any of its original characters.**

**xoxo**


	6. The Ignorant and the Innocent

**Chapter Seven: The Ignorant and the Innocent**

* * *

Two seconds after arriving back at the base was all it took for Sakura to notice something was off: a change that occurred during her absence that threw everything out of balance and stirred the atmosphere. It was indecisive whether or not the change was a good or bad thing; however, it still made her weary. Deidara was oblivious from what she could tell, he stood behind her calmly while holding the few scrolls that they stole and her Akatsuki cloak, awaiting her lead.

Slowly, her feet carried her towards the white light. A stroll, really, she was in no hurry to see what surprise awaited the two of them—she hated surprises anyways. Her body pressed gently on the wooden door way and she observed silently, taking in the change that they made during her four day absence with Deidara. Her disgust for the change was unrecognizable and she turned to Konan who allowed her's too peak through her eyes. Her face was calm, but the anger that burnt behind her hard grey eyes wouldn't go unnoticed if anyone were to bother to look into them.

Patience was something she gained over the thirteen year course of her life—that, many people should be thankful for. They hadn't even realized that she returned and the change had kept them all occupied. She allowed herself to take a seat across from Konan, who sat at the very end of the table—closest to the door—and waited to see when they would.

Sakura's eyes roamed the girl's exposed body. Full breasts that popped out of the bando shirt she wore and her skirt allowed them all to see what she wore underneath the leather material. What the hell had happened after she left? Probably nothing, she shrugged, the girl may just be another hooker that they all decided to share and would kill by the end of the week—two weeks max.

She wouldn't admit that she wasn't surprise, but she also wouldn't admit that she was. She always had a hunch that since they were males of this species, they desired sexual affairs for pleasurable reasons. She simply never guessed they would bring them back to the base—but then again, the girl had no chance of telling them where the base was, her existence would perish the second the men grew bored of her.

"She's our new member." Konan stated, intolerance furnished her voice and Sakura turned to look to her and back to the girl. Her say in the recruit didn't matter, all the men wanted to keep the girl, including the leader. The last thing the organization needed was a two cent hoe as a member. As an Akatsuki slut it was reasonable, but to receive the title of a member was something Konan couldn't fathom. She hardly agreed with Sakura's membership, but the new girl was an extreme disagreement.

"The fuck..." Curiosity twisted with Neko's face and she tilted her head sideways to attempt to see the situation at a different perspective and understand what in all that was good and holy was happening. "The hell is going on?"

She had purple hair—one side stopped at her shoulder and the other stopped above her breast—and a ruler straight fringe. Sakura wasn't the one to judge people at first glance, but the way she presented herself was just begging for judgement and sneers to come flooding into the room. But then again, Sakura still considered her to be a hooker who hookered her way in anyways. What she must have done to have Pein acknowledge her as a member was something she would never understand, nonetheless wanted to find out. _Hookered her way in._

"Oh, whoa, un." A clunking sound followed his statement of awe and the whole room finally shifted. The men stopped chatting her up and down and turned in their direction to be greeted by wide-eye, jaw-dropped blonde. His absences were always the time that they recruit new members, not that he was complaining, he simply wished he was present to see them recruited. As of lately, they've been girls. A pretty, young girl and a hot, mature girl. When did Leader start taking interests in girls? He wasn't complaining.

Sakura's body twisted and her fingers entangled with the strings of the sack. It sat comfortably on the table and she took the liberty of using its comfort as her own. Her arms engulfed it tenderly and her face made itself at home on the bag. They could have taken her suggestive look as a way of saying they could continue on with whatever they were doing or that she had been waiting the whole time—either one didn't matter to her. Her eyes remained locked with the girl's face, studying her ear, her long eyelashes and her purple hair. Her hair swayed to lightly brush her shoulder and brown eyes clashed with sky blue.

"You've been crying."

The small statement caused uproar in the interior of both members. Sakura fought with her urge to turn around and tell Deidara to run for his life, but her decision to keep her eyes locked with Pein made everything a tad bit more secreted. His statement subtracted from the time she took to read the girl's eyes—she hadn't the chance to begin. Instead, bright blue eyes stared into grey ones before transforming to its original seafoam green.

Deidara froze instinctively and waited for his feet to lift from the ground or for his body to mimic the movements of a comet. His eyes met with his partner's for assistant but the puppet boy simply shook his head and looked away. With Deidara's extinction, he may receive an intellectual partner. The blonde was obviously an idiot if he allowed the young girl to cry and bring her back when her pain was still visible. His stupidity would end him, and the time has come for it.

She cursed herself for the lack of observation of Pein. He had been inspecting her the moment her presence was known, yet she had failed to realize it. Upon his search for scratches, scars, cuts, or bruises—all that would be inflicted on the blonde at an exaggerated extent—he identified the swollen, red skin that barely lined her eyes. She turned her head the other direction and sighed submissively. Two days ago it occurred, yet the pain was as new as it appeared at the factory. As though someone had drained her of all of her chakra and hadn't fed her for months. She was low in energy, emotional, neurotic, and frustrated. It wasn't a foreign feeling for her, but at the extent that it presented itself, she would say it was new.

"How weak." The tapping sound concluded as her fingers curled to meet her palm instead. A pregnant silence drowned the packed room and the members waited for a statement of disapproval to come from either Sakura or Leader.

Hope flooded into his system; that the leader would redirect his anger or disapproval towards the new girl instead of him. It would be a shame though, Deidara thought, he didn't get to have any fun with her. But he preferred that than having his insides ripped out, there were plenty of other girls out there.

She knew she hoped Pein would have said something to shut the girl up, but as she turned around to view them both, Pein was watching both girls silently. Sakura looked from him, to the girl and sucked on her teeth. He wasn't going to do anything to defend her and that was fine. Preferably, she wished he were the one to do something of the situation since his authority over the members overpowered her, but she didn't need him to take care of her.

"Just a little." She answered, deciding to disregard the new girls input on something that didn't concern her. The impression the girl gave off wasn't pleasant. From what Sakura could see, she was a noisy and talkative slut who needed to mind herself. With a loud crack, the head of the wooden chair snapped off. Small wood chips scattered across the white tile and Sakura's foot absorbed most of the pieces. Ignorance wasn't what allowed her to withstand the pain, it was its value wasn't as great as protecting an innocent being. "Whoawhoawhoawhoa."

The palms of her hands expanded over the cloaked chest of Leader, her arms reeling inwards to swallow his movement before repenting. Hesitantly, she removed one hand from his chest and used the forearm to shove against Deidara, creating a large enough distant between the victim and executer for the defendant to breathe.

"Sakura, move."

Deidara's gut began to twist around and he swallowed saliva down his dry throat. He was a dead man, a dead man indeed, no one could stand up to Leader and get their way—even live, but Sakura was different_._ His hope was devoured by fear and he clenched and unclenched his hand to remind himself that he was still breathing, he was still moving, and that he was still alive._ Sakura was different,_ he kept reminding himself, a statement that gave empty promises.

"No, you're going to hurt him, but it wasn't his fault." A small promise she made with herself in Snow kept her position relevant. As she told herself she would deal with Pein if he advanced if she got sick, she did it now. Different scenario or not, Deidara is an innocent person who was cursed to have her as a partner.

The nudge she sent towards Deidara only did good for two steps. He was wiser than that. Having nowhere to run and definitely nowhere to hide where Leader couldn't find him, gave him the option of standing in his presence in hopes that his obedience would earn him some brownie points. Her arm twitch in attempt imitate her actions onto Pein, but he was much more willing to proceed forward inside of back. She found him standing the same distance away from Deidara as she had before she shoved him back.

"Move." The rough hand around her wrist gave her no alternative but to fly into the table. Arching her back in attempt to subside the pain in her lower back had proven to fail and the rubbing of small circles did a lot of a better job.

The room found the matter of Leader throwing her off was much more significant than the fact that Deidara was a dead man. Quarrelling between the two wasn't a foreign scene, but rather to expected daily. However, bringing upon the subject of Leader becoming physical upon the pink headed girl and it was as foreign as an Uchiha Itachi wandering around without his Sharingan.

If Sakura and Leader hadn't been the stars of the evening, someone may have noticed the flash of anger behind the Uchiha's eyes and slight tightening of his jaw. He watched with careful eyes for reason unimportant. Displeased or not by the situation, his interference would harm him more than Sakura may become harmed. He actualized that it would be of most irrelevance and achieve nothing.

The heaviness behind her eyes warned her of her anger. Her eyes threatening with its build in chakra to switch into either deep red or bright blue, but she watched her childhood friend for any sudden movements that would demonstrate his desire to act upon his anger towards the blonde; An innocent man who did nothing more but try to comfort her and keep her safe in fear of _this_. A vain attempt, if he had a say in it, but he stood in front of Leader with his lips chapped, throat dried, and stomach ready to spill its acid out. He accepted death unwillingly.

A forced unfathomable pushed against his body and crushed him against the living room wall. Now, even positioned metres away from source, it showed no signs of mercy against his trapped form. Grunts and muffled screams of agony filled in the silence—a silence that tensed the room, but allowed Sakura's heart to beat freely. With Deidara's pleas from mercy, her heart tightened up at the hands of guilt and it may as well had been her crushed against the wall.

"Pein, stop and listen to me! Please!" Her voice held the plea of a guilty party, but in the mind of men, it was the plea of helplessness. Helpless was the adjective she refused to use to label herself, however, her preoccupation on the matter at hand left her unaware of their thoughts. Tiny fingers grasped the heavy material that hung on his shoulders, a futile gesture for his attention. Anguish danced with the features of her face and resentfully, she slowly looked over her shoulder to look at the blonde who still held onto his life.

"God fucking dammit, Pein! Stop!" The position Deidara was thrown in because of her would completely devastate her spirit, but whatever was left of it refused to let another human being die because of her. The anger she tried to suppress evolved into impulsion, possessing her form long enough for her actions to ceased Deidara's pain. Regret caused her to pause and stare up at her friend, it shone through the way her teeth dug into her lips and widen eyes. "Oh, crap."

With Deidara working his lungs to process oxygen, the room had taken the sound of deafening silence. The jumbling of china and the crack of wood penetrated the non-existent sound as Pein's arm was swung directly at her face in revenge. Chips of wood glided past her face in slow-motion, joining the tiny pieces left from the chair at her feet. Truth be told that if any of them hadn't been there to witness the swing of his fist directed the heart shaped face of Sakura, none of them would have believe that he had attempted to caused her bodily harm. The man threatened the lives of anyone who did as much as allowed their skin to touch hers, yet her face was to receive the treatment the cupboard and china received by his hands.

If the punch had startled her, none of them would have known. Her eyes fixed themselves on the large gaping hole in the wood, but her face remained content, no sign of fear of the fate that could've befallen her.

Blood and broken plates followed the departure of his fist. With eyes still fixed on his face, she took two steps back and spared her feet cuts and scratches. Her eyes surveyed number of plates broken, calculating the situation silently. Had she not tipped her body back then the number of plates broken would be the number of cracks in her skull. Her tongue ravished her teeth in anticipation and her eyes lifted to draw in the face of her attacker.

The action directed towards her combined with the strength had taken him by surprise, but who would he be if he allowed anyone to know it? The image of her blood on his knuckles and hot tears streaming from her eyes was enough to multiply his anger by ten and tighten his throat. To be fair she had thrown a punch at him first. The little girl had thrown a punch at him over the small matter of a life that should be of no concerns to her. The first time she punched him was to fight for her freedom, that was tolerable, but this time it wasn't, not if it was for the life of someone who caused her pain.

"There's a room for you between Kisame's and Uchiha. Go to it." Time was required for him to nurture his face, his fist, and his ego—also, to deal with a certain blonde. Her body turned ever so slightly to glance over her shoulder to it, but as she turned back around, he glared at her open mouth. Protest would not be allowed and force would be used to deal with her—necessary force. "Now."

She understood his glare and instead twitched her jaw and dug her tongue into her cheek. A gesture that she was conjuring up a rebellious plan. Rebellious wouldn't be her choice of wording for her action—Pein's choice of wording would have it that way, however—more of finding a loophole to his statement. And there were plenty since Pein loved to be blunt and vague.

Her eyes must have looked over the room five times before she finally looked him square in the eye, satisfied with the rebellious deed she had came up with. "Okay, but I'm taking Deidara as hostage."

* * *

She has never witness aging at the speed in presented it itself before her. She could've sworn the last time she saw them, which was a week ago, they were much much younger than they were now. In a week, these men must have aged at least ten years with their tired eyes and stoic faces. She'd take it that the mission wasn't as successful as she believed it would be, but honestly, how could anyone fail a mission to escort an actress to the Land of Snow and back?

But she would wait until her little friend spoke up about what was bugging them—all before she read the mission report, which she wasn't sure she wanted to read anymore.

"...well?" Her impatience broke the awkward silence and she stared at the blonde specifically for the answers as to why they all came with their sensei to hand in a mission report and why they haven't left yet. The blonde would explode first, his temper rendered him predictable in most situations, especially in ones where the room was quiet and mutual feelings consumed his team. The others were better at keeping to themselves. The way his face twisted to growl and the way his fingers dug into the palm of his hands indicated it was time for the truth.

"Sakura-chan was there, Baa-chan!" He exclaimed, allowing the grief to consume his emotions. The idea that Sakura was within their grasp and that they had the power to bring her home, but they didn't take the chance—he hates it. Her refusal to be returned home caused him to curse her, curse her for her significance to Akatsuki and her dedication to the village. She also refused to be brought home and he cursed at her for it.

"Oh?" With chin rested on her entwined fingers, she leaned forward and rose her fine eyebrow in question: _why isn't Sakura here now?_ Their encounter with the missing girl proves the theory that Akatsuki had done what the needed with her wrong, and Tsunade couldn't choose between the feel of rejoice or dismay for the girl's lingering existence.

"But..." His word blended with angst and his brows knitted together in self-confliction.

What he needed to say brought upon the feeling of pain deep within his chest—brought upon by coming to terms with what he was about to say. He didn't want it to be true. He didn't want any of it to be true. He just wanted to turn around and Sakura would be standing right behind him, smiling and encouraging him to feel better. She could even be at the hospital for all he cared, in Intensive Care—just anything and anywhere where he could see her and knew she was safe.

Safe isn't a word to be used to describe any kind situation involving the Akatsuki. Sakura was not safe. Even if she is a member of their twisted and dark organization, she couldn't be safe. How many members were there and how much time does she have let before they decide that she would be of no use to them? How long would she last, performing their cruel tasks? Cruel isn't Sakura, she couldn't kill without the remorse like Akatsuki.

She'd lose everything being there. She'd lose her humanity. She'd lose her innocence. She'd lose her life to them in the end as well. Naruto would rather have her die in his arms than while in the possession of Akatsuki. _Possession_, that's how he saw it. They owned her like an item like they day they just took her from them. As long as they wanted her, as long as she was a member, she would never be the same free person as she was before.

"She had to return with the Akatsuki." Kakashi finished, knowing too well his student knew not how to cope with grief. It was too painful for him to speak of her, yet here he was trying to tell the Hokage of how she left them all, once again. A period in time where he felt useless upon defending her humanity and safety, failing to bring her back.

_How many times is it going to happen?_ Naruto wondered. How many times was he going to have to sit on the sidelines and watch his friends face challenges alone, all because he knows he's too weak? He had witnessed Sakura's kidnapping because he was too weak to fight for her to stay. He had witness Sakura sacrifice herself in order for her life and the life in Konoha to be spared because he was too weak to protect any one. _Dammit Naruto, when are you gonna get stronger?_

Her studied the three man squad, debating with herself whether it would be convenient to educate them on what she knew would come of this matter. Here was a pink haired girl that she never met, who was only twelve years old, causing extensive damage without being present—well, the lack of her presence is what causes such damage. Even with her return to the village, the few days, leading to weeks that would follow would not be pleasant. In the world they live in, children are trained to kill. They have and will continue to be convicted for crimes such as treason and murder.

"You know what this means, don't you Kakashi?" She whispered, knowing too well the reaction of the young girl's teammates. It wasn't easy for her to learn of Orochimaru's betrayal, even at old age she was when learnt. Kakashi stood there, deciding not to answer the direct question. He wished he didn't know. Wished he was ignorant so he could chirp a "nope" and not know anymore. But he knew, from the minute Sakura revealed herself, what it would mean when if it were to be would be reported in. They could have easily chosen not to, could've easily lied in the report and worked as a team to keep the whole matter concealed, but for the pint of hope that things would turn out okay, they decided to report it as a team. Ironic that they would learn about teamwork after the removal of a teammate. "She'll be titled as a missing-nin and if spotted again, she will be executed or taken into custody."

Naruto's body immediately went stiff. He wasn't uneducated about the idea of missing-nins and the methods of dealing with them. He was also aware of the idea that Sakura had a chance of being trailed as one; however, he had decided that circumstances such as that wouldn't exist for her. Now, here was the Hokage talking about the execution of her the next time anyone sees her. "But you can't do that! You can't just kill off Sakura—"

"Hokage-sama, from what we know, if she hadn't joined Akatsuki than she would've been killed and the only reason she remains is to protect Konoha from their destruction." Kakashi insisted, trying his best to live up to his profession while performing a task that would provide better results than blabbering and arguing like Naruto. He was an elite shinobi for God sakes, he couldn't let himself feverously defend a person he wasn't even sure was innocent.

Their logic was irrational. Their simple judgement of a person who they knew nothing of except for information of their basic shinobi skills and their past relationship was preposterous to Sasuke, who watched the whole in silence. He was the sole survivor of the clan, Itachi had spared his life out of the dozens member, yet they did nothing about him. Sasuke shifted his wait in thought, _these people knew nothing about Sakura. _

The girl who he grew up with since the massacre. It would be a lie to say he hasn't questioned her relationship with him; if it caused by his older brother or out of the kindness of her heart—however, he decided the reasoning was irrelevant. She was the only thing he could look at as good in his life, the one person who managed to pull his ass out of the past and give him the closest thing to a normal life. She resembled his mother: feeding him, healing him, and making sure he was alive from day to day. That girl...she couldn't be the girl the village accused her of being.

"To join against a person's will for the sake of their life and village, is that a requirement to be labelled as a missing-nin?" Sasuke questioned, mockery dripping from his voice.

The Hokage shifted her gaze from Kakashi to Sasuke, staring the boy in the eye as he glared a glare that could've burnt down half the village. The Uchiha could've glared at her all day, but it wouldn't have made a difference "To join against a person's will for the sake of their village" sounded like a bunch of bullshit in her mind. She lived too long for some sob story to be pulled over her head. "Well, tell me Sasuke, what's your source?"

His glare intensified and his lips pursed from the realization of her question. _Useless_, he deemed their position: No matter what was said, Sakura was destined to be label as the bad guy; a missing-nin to be executed upon arrival. Defeated by the question he had no will to answer, he turned away and sighed. "Dammit."

Blue eyes flickered between his teammates and the Hokage. Kakashi's face unreadable due to him not having any ability to see it. Whatever laid beyond the blue sky has taken his attention completely, and Sasuke the same but instead the brownish red wall of the building beside them was a much preferred sight. Naruto grumbled in irritation. "Sakura-chan told us!"

"Exactly." Her eyebrows rose at him suggestively, encouraging him to think profoundly into the words he has spoken. He wasn't the idiot everyone told her he was, she knew that he was just slow on things. He could put two and two together, he just needed triple the time.

He panted from his anger, directing her to same glare Sasuke had performed only seconds ago before the realization she was hoping Naruto would come to terms him, had hit him. Sorrow poured into his eyes as he studied his dirty toes and bloody knee. It seemed pointless for them to try to convince the elders, shinobis who had lived to be five times their current age and had seen everything possible. They were cynical, anything coming out as good had to have some catch to it. The idea of Sakura being good, despite being in the tainted hands of Uchiha Itachi and making good with Akatsuki was something too far fetch.

"But Sakura-chan was crying..." His voice drifted off into the abyss, staring out the window with those who were left of his team.

"..." Her occupation left her to do the dirty work. Stating facts as it was and ignoring her heart and personal opinion. There was nothing she could say from her position that would sound like heaven to their ears. From what she had read and from what was discussed, if Haruno Sakura was to be brought back, she would be interrogated, trailed, and either be executed or sent to prison.

"Sakura-chan protected me when the other Akatsuki bastard tried to take me! She freed her brother and even after she killed the person who killed family, she cried for him." His voice rose with every word, anger bubbled from his stomach and fueled his voice until Shizune could hear their conversation from the outside. "You weren't there to see how sad she was! You weren't there to see the way she looked at us and asked us why we would want her back! She hates herself! And now you want to go off and label her as a missing-nin for something she can't help...you weren't even here!"

"If you want to present this case to the village elders then be my guest, Naruto! But you're going to have a bloody hard time trying to convince them that someone like her is innocent of any crime!"

"They don't even know her!"

The level of their voice continued to rise, reaching a level that even through the closed window and several levels that separated the Hokage office the bust street of Konoha, their voices were heard, exchanging in angry muffles.

The room hummed with their voices; allowed their voice to echo and bounce of the walls. It amplified their voices, little did Kakashi and Sasuke know. The Hokage and Naruto could be shouting in their ears for all they cared, their mind had wondered past arguing with the Hokage by stating that she was innocent to coming up with something much more efficacious.

"They don't need to know her!" Her voice strained, warning her of the volume of her voice and her public display of the case to curious ears. She lowered herself and rubbed her temples, relieving the pressure built under her skin, straining at her brain. "Naruto, it's hard to deem her as an innocent person when one, Itachi had trained her, two, she is not an Uchiha yet she has the Sharingan, and three, she is already suspected of being involved in the Uchiha Massacre. Now, you come back with the information that she is alive after being _captured_ by Uchiha Itachi with a sob story that _she told you_, it doesn't help her at all."

_She's just a person,_ Naruto thought bitter, growling to release whatever was left of his anger. Sakura was just a person who had what it took to be Akatsuki and knew the wrong people. Some things she couldn't help but have, like the demon that was sealed in her body. She was just like him in many ways, actually, Akatsuki would come after him eventually and he wondered to himself, _what if I had joined too?_

"If I was the one who was trained by Itachi and I had the Sharingan and was suspected of killing Sasuke's family, would you still label me as a missing-nin after I told you that I had to join Akatsuki to spare my life and the lives of innocent people?" His voice dropped to a whisper and hot tears streamed down his face from the production of his pain and anger.

The circumstances weren't fair. They were lucky number seven, but everything that had happened was unlucky. Sasuke had been cursed by Orochimaru and even if they manage to return Sakura back to her rightful place as the fourth member of Team Seven, the village opposed to it completely. Just because she was Sakura, just because she had something they couldn't understand and she had a substantial prowess that she had hidden for the sake of fitting the norm.

"However, you are not the one—"

"But would you?" He asked harshly, taking a step forward to confront the woman on a more intimidating level. The strong hand of Kakashi prevented his plan, pulling him back to stand in place while he stood in front to do Sakura a favour.

Kakashi couldn't say he was one hundred percent sure she was as innocent as her teammate would like to believe, but her reaction was agonizing enough for his heart to sink to his stomach. How intently the boys wanted to believe she was innocent made him want to do the same and he concluded that no matter what, there would always be doubt of her innocence—along with the doubt he has for everybody else.

Naruto's tears was the indication of his breaking point. All thoughts would become irrational and all actions would be from impulse, Kakashi already knew. Kakashi was a ninja first, a man second, but in the presence of his students, he was a teacher first—a friend. A wise man once told him "Those who abandon their friends are worse than scum" and half-heartedly, he considered Sakura to be a friend. An equal, not by rank, but by ability and knowledge.

He coughed, attracting the presence of a stubborn Uchiha and an irritated Hokage. "Hokage-sama, if I may, I don't believe anyone was harmed in the inheritance of her Sharingan."

If his cough didn't attract the arrogant, young Uchiha, then his statement had for sure. Behind their backs and in front of their faces, Sakura's ability had been questioned from the moment she released herself from her own bound. Ryuu hadn't said a word about it, actually, Kakashi had completely forgotten to question him about it. Last time Kakashi interacted with Sakura's guardian, it was to discuss the matters of her death.

Naruto stared at the ground in deep concentration, piecing together the importance of the Sharingan to a case that shouldn't even exits. Uchihas are the only people in the world that have Sharingan, with the exception of Sakura and Kakashi. Yet, here was Sakura getting a life sentence for it, while Kakashi just idles along, reading porno and half-heartedly training them.

"Kakashi-sensei has the Sharingan too! Why don't you accuse him of being involved in the Uchiha Massacre for having it! Or suspect him of betraying Konoha." He shouted, pointing accusing at the man who knew he had that coming to him.

What Naruto was trying to accomplished wasn't certain in his mind. Proving a point and possible giving Kakashi the same penalty that Sakura would receive? Maybe. Well, everyone knew he always did first and thought second.

"Naruto, that's enough!" Tsunade had already been pushed pass her breaking point. No person alive could tolerate such an annoying little twerp, it was simply impossible to get anywhere with him. Too stubborn and hard-headed. Her eyes stared him down until her retreated behind the man he obliviously attempted to convict of treason and murder seconds ago. Her gaze shifted to the said man who said nothing and stood indifferent. "How would you explain her Sharingan, Kakashi?"

"I can't, but what I do know is that her eyes are as green as her mothers and have been the green I remember since the day I recued her from the Land of Snow a decade ago. I can only conclude that no eyes transplant was used, therefore no one was harmed, but I also know that Itachi was responsible for it..." Kakashi trailed off, staring out into space again. It had done more damage than any good. He should've stopped talking, he was rambling on when it he could've ended at "therefore no one was harmed". But the way Itachi smirked at him at the Chuunin exam...the way his face silently said "Ha, look at what I did to her" made his skin crawl and own Sharingan spin.

The Uchiha's pride in the destruction of a young girl's life was angering to him. Even surviving a battle with him and being in the hands of Akatsuki, the young girl's life was over—when it hardly even begun. As though she didn't have a horrible childhood as it was, Itachi came in and made it worse, and smirked to the man who tried to save her. _Bastard._

"Baa-chan..." Naruto sighed, begging with the weakness of his voice to protect who he knew was good.

Tsunade sighed herself, distracting herself with the same space area Kakashi used. The man hadn't pulled out that perverted book once since bringing up this touchy subject, so whoever the hell this girl was, she meant something to the man as well.

Her job came with no short cuts. It was simply paper work, mission planning, receiving and distributing payment, do what is good for the village, and say things as they are. However, she swore that it was easier telling family of dying patients the bad news than telling these men their fourth, valuable member had no hope. "I'm sorry Naruto, but by how things are turning up, she will be classified as a missing-nin."

If one thing Naruto didn't like, it was being backed into a corner. Being given no room to make his own moves and do what he wanted. If he were the Hokage, it would be _fuck what the elders say, I know what I know_. He tried shouting, he tried crying, he tried begging, and now he was left to do nothing but give it his all one more time. Defending the innocent and saving lives, isn't that what shinobis do? That's what he signed up for, not this, not ending the life of an innocent person.

"Dammit, Baa-chan! Sakura is innocent! She—"

The building rumbled with the splitting of the Hokage's desk, cutting off the raging Naruto and warning him to watch himself before his fate matches the wood. He took a step back as an extra precaution, but he still continued to stare angrily and determinedly at the woman—the one who was brought here because of him. Her patience was in the negative, slightly lowering every time the boy spoke. Sometimes she wished he was more like the Uchiha, secluded and only spoke when it was necessary. Every once in a blue moon Naruto would blabber something that would assist the situation, and this definitely wasn't one of those situations.

The case was too personal and he was too narrow minded. The personal content of it made it difficult for him to view it in any other light, not difficult, he simply refused to look at her in any other way. She was a friend to him and turning his back on friends is something he doesn't do—ever. But the boy needed a walk. A walk through the shadows of rationality and facts, and he was going to take that walk with her, whether he liked it or not.

"Have you ever stopped to think that she may be playing you? She is a highly skilled shinobi who has been associated with Uchiha Itachi for at least four years, she even said it herself that he personally trained her, and his so called kidnapping resulted in her membership with Akatsuki. She may have been with Akatsuki the whole time."

Sakura playing them, only two members of their team was analytical enough to think of both sides of the very twisted story. Kakashi weighed between guilty and innocent, Sasuke had tipped more towards innocent, and Naruto stood firmly on the innocent side. Sakura playing them was out of the question, no questions asked. Trained by Itachi or not, that was good for her. Good for her that she had Neko and the badass Sharingan, it didn't mean squat.

Naruto looked over at Kakashi and down at the pouch that held his perverted book. Naruto was being trained by this man, wasn't he? No one sees any of them walking around reading perverted books like him. Some things can't be taught. Something like killing and being evil, that just comes. Naruto couldn't imagine how you would teach a person to be evil, it doesn't seem possible. Sit them down and teach them that killing people brings upon happiness and destroying the world brings upon joy?

_Associated with Uchiha Itachi for at least four years...said it herself that he personally trained her..._

Four years ago, Sakura had come over for dinner at Sasuke's house where she met his brother, that's what he knew. If they knew each other before hand, they didn't show it during dinner. But the second part was new as day to Sasuke's mind. Itachi had trained and she said so herself. He couldn't comprehend the idea of Itachi training her. It had been said before, but to him it was bullshit that he believed they came up with. Now, Sakura had said it herself. To who and why?

Training her though? It didn't make sense. If that was the case why would she tell anyone, why would she go off and just throw everything away, just like that. It made no sense whatsoever to the young Uchiha. He's calling bullshit on that too.

"Have you ever stopped to think that Itachi may have been manipulating her the whole time?" Sasuke growled, stepping up to her. Tsunade sighed in annoyance, but said nothing. Answering yes would cause an uproar, answering no would do the very same. "You didn't! He knows how to work people and knows how to make them work for him! Who is to say he hasn't been threatening her from the start?"

Uchiha Sasuke: cynical thinker, yet boy of reason.

Tsunade's mouth quirked sideways, a result of chewing on one side of bottom lip in refusal of admitting defeat. Her eyes met Kakashi's lone, not-so-lazy-at-the-moment eye and saw nothing. With three-quarter of his face covered, you couldn't understand a thing for the man.

"I know from the bottom of my heart Sakura-chan wouldn't hurt any of us!" Uzumaki Naruto: Heart over head and annoying little brat who didn't know how to keep his mouth shut when he wasn't needed.

Tsunade's chewing halted and she quirked an eyebrow in annoyance. If the boy was in her presence for a second longer, the whole building may collapse, taking down the lives of innocent and oblivious bystanders.

"That is enough!" Shizune body reacted with a large jerk, throwing the woman out of her seat. All life outside of the Hokage office seemed the stop. The villagers stopped moving around in the bust streets to stare up at the Hokage window, wondering why it hadn't cracked from the vibration of the loud voice. Shizune remained on the floor, staring at the wooden door while debating whether or not she should bring the Hokage sake and escort the three shinobis out of the room for their safety and the villages. "You are to leave my office immediately!"

Naruto stumbled back before turning around, his back pressing firmly against Kakashi's stomach in protest of his forced evacuation. Sasuke simply turned and prepared for their exit, knowing too well it was better to trust Kakashi's instincts than be left behind to die—unless Sakura was there, he'd follow hers.

"Sakura would have nothing to gain by sparing the life of Naruto as she did back there and during her battle at the Chuunin exam. She was nearly captured at one point because she stopped and saved Sasuke's life." His voice came in a low ring, the seriousness held behind his words was almost threatening and he only glanced back slightly as he spoke. Sasuke paused and stared at the woman, daring her to say it wasn't an act of pure kindness or accuse him of treason as well—throwing himself at the man who killed his family for an act. Kakashi's one hand settled on his shoulder, keeping him in line before the patience of the Uchiha ceases to exist and whatever anger he developed mixes with his desire for revenge causes him to do something drastic. "I simply don't see what she would have planned with Akatsuki or Uchiha Itachi that would involve her to be undercover in the Hidden Leaf Village for all these years, only to uncover herself the way that it happened. If she wanted anyone dead, she would've killed them by now—"

The words and implied threat of Sakura, even though it was proven should wouldn't have the will to actually go through with it. Not from what he witness in the Land of Snow. Revenge couldn't satisfy her guilt of killing another human being—he feared her for nothing.

"And if she did murder my family, she could've left with him that night. There's no reason for her to stay unless she innocent." Sasuke finished, twitching against the hold of his sensei while his eyes grew with pressure in warning of the Sharingan.

To argue against these men would get her nowhere. Their determination to protect something she couldn't agree with on needing protection was too great for her to even wobble. From the fear the elders hold towards the young girl, it would be a surprise if they even allow her in the Fire Country. Fact had it she was nowhere close, no sighting of her—except one on the mission—was reported. Reason was that if Uchiha Itachi had the ability to wipe out an entire clan, consisting of ANBU, Jounins, etc., and trained the girl to be that powerful and more, who knew how strong the girl must be of now.

"I can't choose whether or not to label her as a missing-nin alone, however, I'll present your side of the case to the counsel."

Fear and ignorance made Haruno Sakura the criminal the men accused her of not being.

* * *

"I think Leader-sama's mad, un." Deidara stated shyly, squirming slightly on Sakura's new bed, positioned at the back of her room while he watched her stare mesmerizingly at the floor. The small supply closest wasn't as small as he last recalled, now with the shelves removed and a fresh coat of red paint. Sakura's new bed pushed against the wall parallel to the door, centered and leaving just enough room for a nightstand on either side. With the door slightly pushed to the side, her desk sat against the wall to the left and Sakura sat in the chair, one leg up while she rested her face on the knee and dangled the other.

Deidara's uncovered eye stared into Sakura's lowered eyes, her eyelashes twitching with the studying of her green eyes and she lifted her head to rest her chin. She shrugged at him, using her dangled leg as leverage to spin herself around. "Just at me."

Which was true after all. She had thrown a punch—and hit—him in the kitchen, resulting in him doing the same, but at least she was aware of the movement. She sighed. She imagined him downstairs now, frustrated and refusing to nurse his bloody hand in front of his members out of pride and his overgrown ego.

Deidara focused on her hair and the way it obediently followed her movement. Twirling with her and falling back into place after she stopped. It toppled over her shoulder gently and he recalled the first time he laid his eyes on her abnormally coloured hair. The way it brought out her green eyes like the way her green eyes brought out her hair. Like blonde and blue, like pink and green.

"Maybe you shouldn't have done that, un..." He whispered, watching the blurred image of her face and body as she spun again. Carefree and ignorant, that's what he figured she was. She had nothing to fear, but fear itself for the situation he got himself into. Emotionally weak and personally close with the Leader—amusing to watch them fight, but fearful when the fight concerned one's life. He now understood why Sasori was so angry the day Deidara storm into his room and asked what he was doing to her, like it was threatening. But then again, Sakura always took responsibility for the problems concerning her.

"I didn't know you wanted to die so badly, Dei-kun." She giggled and he caught himself staring at her blurred image for too long. He looked away in shame for it, if Leader was present, he'd kill him for it—on top of killing him for allowing Sakura to cry and existing in Sakura's enclosed room.

Not like he was responsible for it to begin with. Only recovering from the extreme pressure pushing against his body, his senses were slowly restoring themselves. One minute Sakura said something about a hostage, the next he was dragged by his underarms up the stairwell and into her room. She had gotten him to her bed before he had time to truly process the problem that laid ahead of him, the distraction of Leader shouting curses and demands at Sakura to return him his member was enough to occupy his mind.

"I...un..." He stumbled, scratching his jaw line while staring at the ceiling. Either way he was a dead man. Had Sakura let him be on the living room floor he would've been a goner by now. But sitting in her room meant he was more of a dead man than he was before, disobeying Leader and going against him—he's was a dead man for his next life. "He'll kill me in the end."

Her chair rolled over, stopping at the foot of her bed where she prompt her feet on the trunk that held her belongings. Her hands cupped her face as it leaned closer, arm supported by her elbows which rested on her knees. She smiled at him, carefree and all. Why should she care so much though, right? Leader wouldn't hurt her, not kill her...but he questioned that now, after half-witnessing him nearly taking out Sakura's head and teeth. His eyes took in a blurred, double-vision of Leader's fist ejecting itself from the cupboard where Sakura's face would've been, taking with him plates and blood.

"As long as I'm around he won't." She sighed, shaking her head. "I won't let him."

Yet he found himself crushed against the living room walls about half an hour ago, brought here to sit and calculate the remaining time of his life before Leader bursts through the room and slaughters him like a lamb. He concluded that this girl was all talk, saying she'd protect him, but did a lousy job at it. Protecting him bruised his shoulder and fractured one of his ribs. "But..."

"No buts, ands, or ifs. I caused this, so I'm fixing it." She sat up quickly and pushed against the bed frame, setting her to twirl around until she was stopped by the opposite wall. "You should be praised, not punished for what you did back there and if he would stop and listen for just a second—ugh!"

That sentence was said loud enough to be heard downstairs, only for the words to blend into muffling of an irritated tone and an _UGH_ to end it. Pein's eyes flickered towards the direction, glaring at it in hopes that a hole would form so he could see the little bastard and kill him for whatever he was doing up there, in that room, alone, with Sakura to make her groan. Taking him hostage, she said, protecting someone who shouldn't be protected for what had happened was more like. Whoever was stupid enough to make her cry was stupid enough to die, she had always been too kind hearted to realize who demanded death with their actions.

Hidan was the only one brave enough to snicker, praising Deidara for seizing the moment and taking advantage of the girl. That's what they all instantly believed it was, Deidara taking advantage of the girl who did her best to protect him. But rational thinking was all it took for a person to realize that A, Deidara couldn't be _that_ much of an idiot and B, Sakura wasn't that kind of girl. Hell, she was the girl who attacked Leader when he walked in on her bathing, the kid couldn't have that much charm to seduce her within the half-hour—especially after receiving a taste of Leader's medicine.

Pein knew for sure that whatever she groaned about was definitely not what the Jashinist was imagine in that twisted, perverted mind of his—filled with blood, gore, and sex. If that was the case, things would've been broken and she may have killed him. However, the idea of it pumped anxiety and irritation through his body, something that didn't go unnoticed by his partner.

A light jump of the table and a screech from the Jashinist filled the room. He cursed her, but she didn't even blink or looked his way in response for her foot stomping. "You should go speak with her now. It's been long enough." Konan said coolly, allowing her eyes to follow him as he sat for a minute before standing and exiting the room.

"Just a little cry baby." He was in ear-range but did nothing to show that he heard his new member. She smiled in her seat, crossing her arms in her lap to push her breast up and forward to attract the attention of the lustful men. But she watched the Leader with hungry eyes until her vision of him walking up the stairs was cut off by the doorframe.

His pace was steady, simply idling himself towards Sakura's finished new room. Travelling through the door was the sound of quiet voices and soft laughs. He waited for a second or two, only for his impatience on the matter to overthrow. "Sakura."

It quieted the room of words instantaneously.

Deidara's inside exploded with adrenaline, coming to the denouement that if he was going to go out, he was going to go out with a bang. Sakura couldn't save him now, and he'll fight for his life, even if it meant death. Weighed between his two options, ending the way he planned was much more ideal that laying there helplessly while Leader spilled his guts out.

He shifted, but facing Sakura's palm halted his movements. Her face hidden by her pink curtain of hair, he hadn't a clue what she was her next move may be.

"Are you gonna hurt him?" Her voice sang through the wood, almost mocking him, almost challenging him. It stood in his way of strangling the blonde to death and he knew far too well that breaking down the door would anger her into impulsion. The door had a lock, something he knew she used. Using the handle only to be rejected was something he wasn't going to live to tell, so he stared at the dark wood in silence, allowing the corners of his mouth to descend.

"Open the door." His voice boomed with authority, threatening them both. The only one who seemed to be affected was Deidara, who jumped back ever so slightly with wide eyes. He nearly cried out when Sakura set her feet down and stood up, but he stopped himself from reaching out and crying—demonstrating disobedience. _Leader's outside. He can see me. He can hear me._

With a glance over her shoulder and into the eyes of Deidara, she let out a giggled. _He thinks Pein's God or something._

The door opened large enough for her to squeeze out and enough for him to see the glare from Leader that made him want to run up and beg for forgiveness. But the door closed as fast as it opened, separating Deidara from Pein with a wood about an inch and a half think and the delicate frame of a young girl.

Her back pressed against the door and her hand remained on the handle, disallowing Pein from reaching for it over attempting to turn it. She smiled up at him, tiptoeing herself to attempt to be eye-levelled with him and using the handle as a prompter. "Well, hi there. Where do you think you're going?" She asked, tilting her head to the side and allowing her hair to swoop to one side.

She smiled at him, but her eyes were tired. A little smaller and eyelashes not as perky as usually, she tired herself mentally on that mission and the blonde was useless in protecting her. For all he knew, he could've been the reason. For all everyone knew, he was the reason she was crying. Sakura's crying wasn't rare as a child, she almost cried daily on little things such as a scraped knee and picture not turning out the way she planned. As of lately, she hadn't shed a single tear, but a mission with Deidara was enough to break that streak.

"Let me through." His demand was accompanied by a step forward, but was met by the chest of the girl in front of him. Their intimacy was overlooked by the way they challenged each other, facing off in the battle that neither of the hoped would turn as physical as it did in the kitchen, as they stared each other down with their eyes.

Activating her Sharingan now would push things too far, that she calculated. If it was one thing Pein detested the most, it was his authority being challenged. She learnt that from growing up with the boy for a few years, him, always believing he was the big boss of everything they did that whenever she questioned him he would lash out at her. Their ending wasn't ideal, far from it in fact. Pein either forgot about it or chose not to bring it up, as she had, and simply chose to enjoy the fact that they can be in each other's presence again— even like this.

Her hand twisted the handle slowly, opening it just a crack and shutting it close, scaring a scared to death Deidara who let out a breath he wasn't aware he held. It was an act to irritate Pein, and his grey eyes narrowed at Sakura's dull, playful ones. She teased him so slightly, just for the hell of it, enjoying her ability to challenge his authority. She smirked at him while her hand still rested on the door handle. She obeyed him to by opening the door to come outside, but that was as far as she would go with following his orders.

Revenge is what it was; what she concluded to dish out for the simple act of him not listening to her. If he had taken a second to just listen to the story, they wouldn't be standing here, facing each other off in the battle of glares and smirks. If Pein wanted someone to blame, he should blame her for the mishap. The pain was all self-inflicted—_so, would he kill me for hurting myself?_

"You're not going anywhere near him unless you promise not to hurt him."

His attempt to stare her down was recognize as a fail when her smile grew wider and her order still hung in the air for him to take him. Wait a minute, Pein tilted his head towards her for clarification, only earning him a raised eyebrow and a look that said he heard right, Sakura had given him instructions of how the situation worked.

"Who do you think you are?" A question already answered, yet spoken to put one back in their place. It had no affect on the young girl as her smile persisted, annoying Pein as it did to Kisame during their battle.

"Does it matter?" She lowered her face and looked upward, pulling the classic sweet innocent look she made whenever she was in trouble with the authority. The position emphasized her large green eyes, decorated with long lashes, and button nose, making even a twelve year old with the devious mind that she possessed, appear innocent. Interiorly, she had the desire to connect her knuckles with his jaw—again—but last time it didn't turn out so well and this time she had more self-restraint and awareness.

Who she was and who he was was something of complete irrelevance because inside was a person who was innocent.

"Step aside."

Her face dropped its pleasant facial, and she leaned forward, evading the personal space Leader usually had. Her hot breath caressed his skin as she inaudible laughed. "No."

Her body pressed back against the barrier and her eyes glistened with power, the very two things that irritated the man. One, she stood in the way and any physical force was off limits. Two, he felt out powered, inferior, a feeling he detested the most. Spending three years with the young girl gave him a brief summary of who she was. He knew that if she was still the same girl he had taken care of back then, she would stand guard of this door even in her sleep.

She had a strong desire to protect the innocent and sadly, everything was innocent enough to be in need of her protecting.

"You have three seconds to present yourself." Leader of Akatsuki, he always had more than one plan. Members die on missions and others interfere, changing plans completely to the point where it wouldn't hold any resemblance to the original plan. He had back-up plans, for back-up plans, that backed-up the back-up plans of another back-up plan. In this case, if he couldn't lure Sakura away, he would lure Deidara out.

He slid off the bed silently and approached the door with clay already in the mouths of his hand. His fingers trembled as they reached for the doorknob, ready to twist it and ready to send the first bomb towards Leader's face then run like hell. His tips grazed the metal knob and a bright light flashed upon contact. It sent wild vibration through his hand and a burn that caused him to yelp in surprise.

"You stay inside!" Sakura's voice warned him, as well as the tapping noise on the other side of the doorknob. He sucked on the slightly burnt flesh on the tip on his finger, fully aware that the shock as a result of her elemental usage surging through the metallic knob. Now he couldn't escape even if he tried; an explosion would cause the whole place to crumble. Her eyes scanned the doorframe as her head had turned when she spoke with the blonde inside after her hand had sparked. "What's the matter, huh? What did he do that was so bad that he deserves death? Not a thing. While I was crying, he was trying his best to cheer me up. He didn't make me cry, and you would've known that if you stopped to listen to me!"

She stood on the tips of her toes to shout, loud enough to catch everyone's attention—those who weren't paying attention to begin with—and they leaned out slightly to receive the visual effect of the argument. It looked ridiculous. She only reached his chin, even on her tippy-toes, yet she challenged him. It always looks like this when they fight, but it was still so odd as ever. Leader could snap her in two in a second. She was so small, so skinny, and so...childlike.

"Then who?" She could name any person in the world, any person she didn't like and they'd be dead before they knew. He would send his members after them or go out personally to inflect pain upon the person that inflected it on her. But she had froze her body. She stood still, staring into his grey eyes and said nothing—didn't even breathe.

Slowly she settled down on her feet, leaning back against the door and holding the doorframe and looking up into the distance in thought. "Are you gonna let him go?"

"Answer—"

Her head snapped to look in square in the eye instantly, sending a glare that would put a Uchiha to shame. She was determined and unwilling to budge unless her request was met—stubborn is what it was, in Pein's and Itachi's opinion ."Are you gonna let him go?" She barked.

This indicated a bargain, so he believed. The freedom and life of the blonde in exchange for information that he considered to be of importance. The blonde was of less significance now, now that they knew he didn't trigger tears from Sakura. However, he is still up there on the list to be punished for allowing whoever it was to cause such an ugly, weak act. "He is free to leave."

She knew how to work people. Knew what to say, what to bargain, and where to hit to get what she wanted—even for something as worthless as Deidara's life, they thought. Such a pity for her to waste her energy protecting someone who could die the next day. Living here, she needs to learn to only love and care for herself. His partner hadn't done much but blink at the fact that his partner will die, yet this girl took one mission with him and she was defending him with her life. _She needs to grow up._

"Run." She ordered, opening the door by a crack before throwing herself forward onto Pein. His body leaned back, hands gripping the railings while Sakura's body weight transferred onto him. Her gently fingers clawed into his cloak as she kicked back and swung the door open. Deidara stood for a second and ran like hell. At first he wasn't sure where, out of the base was an absolute no, and his room would be a dead end, plus there was a slut in the kitchen and before he died, he wanted all the pleasures he could get.

His arrival was greeted by pitied looks and grins. Hidan congratulated him for surviving the leader's wrath and befriending such a fierce kitten, who was obviously Leader's joy and pride-buster. Sasori had shown some kind of approval for that case and the only two people who were anything but thrilled was the new girl and Itachi. The girl had an expression of disgust on her face, but the directory was unsure of. Itachi, well, he never really had an expression at all, but if Deidara had a say on his current facial expression it would be that his eyes were a bit smaller.

Itachi had agreed with Leader about the situation: Deidara should mean next to nothing to her. In front of the entire organization, Sakura had risked her life for his safety—not actually, her life would never be threaten in Leader's hands—and personally landed a punch on him in order to spare Deidara's life. In this standpoint, it almost made them inferior to Deidara, now that he was on a personal basis with Sakura. And that was unacceptable.

"Answer me."

"No."

They persisted with their arguing. Exchanging simple words idly while Sakura stared up at her ceiling and Leader sat comfortably in the chair he bought—stole—for her. With fingers wrapped around the railing that lined her headboard, her muscles flex to pull her into a leaning position. She stared into his eyes and searched for any sign that he would let up because frankly, she had no desire to speak about the matter and the person who caused her tears—she made no promise to do so if Pein let Deidara free. The only thing she saw as persistency and regret, along with self-restraint that came from the occurrence downstairs earlier.

She groaned inwardly and tilted her head back to stare at the ceiling again, diminishing the small feel of hope Pein had that their arguing with let up. Such a stubborn person she was, as a child and as of now. It was her way or no way and sometimes he blamed himself for that attitude. He was the very same and she had spent the dawn of her life with him, picking up his habits and attitude. It was like he was facing himself in battle.

"You are answering my question..."

"I don't want to talk about it."

_Stupid_. Was the appropriate label for the situation, she decided. Stupid of him to keep pressuring her to talk about it when the whole reason started because he had found out that she cried—and there is a very big chance that she might tear up speaking about it. She did her best not to think about it to begin with: staring at the ceiling, thinking about the renowned Akatsuki slut—she meant member—and about if she should sleep tonight or guard Deidara.

"You are going to have to tell me eventually." He said evenly, sounding a bit too sure with his statement for Sakura's liking. Why? Was she that easy to crack or something?

"Doesn't matter, I killed the person already." Then again, she always told him everything. Everything would be an exaggeration, she didn't tell him about Itachi or how she received her Sharingan. But here she went again, remembering the reason why she had cried in the first place. "The one who killed my family."

And that is what she questioned: was it really him? Was it really her uncle that killed her family or was it her? Her existence on this planet that lead to the death of so many people. She was one fucking person yet a whole family of uncles and aunts, cousins, mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, and brothers and sisters were murdered because they were protecting her. _Sorry I can't be like the Uchiha._

Yes the Uchiha. She wasn't sure if regret or remorse could run through his being anymore. She was subjected to the title of murderer for something she couldn't control, yet it affected her greatly, and he was subjected to the same title for an action he could control, and if were to be brought up he wouldn't even look at you or blink—just throw a punch at you if you referred him to his father.

"So, what was the problem?" He made it sound so simple and easy to kill another person and she agreed that for him it probably was, and for a shinobi it probably was. It's what she signed up to do anyways—along with her soul when she signed up for the role of a shinobi. She was a tool, as she was from day one of her life, that was allowed to be sought out and used to kill or defend. But she signed up for the defending part, defending the innocent and all the was good.

She never killed a person in her life before, and when she had killed him, it wasn't to defend anyone, but out of pure anger and revenge. On top of that it made her title even more true.

"He was my uncle, Pein." She whispered, raising her hand to wipe away the droplet that escaped her waterline. She killed her uncle as she had murdered her family and because of her, her brother and cousin had no one left. Her brother...the way he looked standing at the door. No emotions and no nothing—skin and bones, and an empty soul."And he kept my brother locked up all these years. God, he probably hates me and Team Seven...oh my god..."

At first he said nothing, simply sat there and watched her rub at her cheek and eye. Pein wasn't a man who assured comfort in people, quite the contrary actually. He enjoyed ensuing fear in others, so he wasn't about to walk up to her and wrap his arm around her. He felt that it was also a useless act that would encourage him to provide her with false hope. She had killed her uncle and there was nothing more to it than that.

Moreover, a newer case had presented itself.

"Team Seven was present." It was a borderline question, more of a statement that asked for reassurance. She paused and nodded, giving a hm to confirm his curiosity. "And you didn't grab the other demon container."

Back into Leader-mode, she mused. And she thought the current situation was a heart to heart between friends, but she guessed wrong. He would always be the big bad leader of Akatsuki, turning personal interactions into professional meetings. What started out as the life threatening of Deidara for the sake of her tears turned into the discussion of the retrieval of a nine-tailed fox. Typical.

"Nope." Her lips made a popping sound in the end to demonstrate her disinterest on the subject.

"Why the hell not?" She wanted to laugh at his question and the anger in his voice for the question that held such an obvious answer. Why the hell not, he asked, why the hell not? He could answer it himself since he was aware of the fact that Naruto was a part of Team Seven and the team she was assigned to about two months ago. But why the hell not had she grabbed the boy and hauled him back to Akatsuki to be killed? It wasn't like she cared for him or anything or that she would mourn over his loss—or defending him with her life for that matter. Of course not. Why the hell not had she murdered him to? _Oh, silly me._

"Why the hell would I when I know you're going to kill him? I already killed my whole family, why would I kill my friend?" Her legs swung up and slammed down on the mattress, bringing her body forward with it. She leaned over her knees and glared at him with a red puffiness that rimmed her under eye. A fire lit behind her darkened green eyes, daring him to provide a answer that would suit her taste.

They both knew "You're an Akatsuki" wouldn't be enough.

"Stop being a child. Death is a part of the life, it's inevitable." She snorted in return, laughing hysterically as she rocked back and forth while her eyes fixed themselves on the wall to her left.

He had called her a child for defending a friend. For putting herself out to protect him out of the love she felt for him. He called her a child for crying about the death of her family. For the death of uncle. For all the deaths that she caused that shouldn't have happen. Maybe she was a child for it. For crying about something that can't be fixed and for something that wasn't in her control at the time. She couldn't control her uncle's need for power anymore than she could control the lives that ended too short by his hands for the want of the demon inside her. If that made her a child then she never wanted to grow up.

"I'm being a child?" She laughed lightly, nodding at his statement while engulfing her bottom lip with her teeth. She turned to him with red eyes, but they weren't the same ones he'd seen before. Not from crying or rubbing, but from the surging of her normal chakra through her optic nerves. "Get out."

No way was Pein leaving because Sakura had told him to, or because she was angry, or because she had thrown one of the pillows at him and would soon be reaching for shurikens and kunais. Not at all, he was leaving because there was nothing more to discuss.

"Very much a child." He commented, strolling down the stairs to confront a blonde who got off the hook too easily for a problem that was now behind them. What the blonde had let happen was unacceptable. Not only did Sakura arrive back at the base in tears, but he also let the nine-tail escape.

Her body leaned on against the wall, one hand holding the doorframe and the other holding the door. She had finished laughing at the different views on the situation, but let out one more quiet chuckle before shouting a loud "Fuck you." afterwards. It had turned heads in the kitchen and Pein had stopped to turn around in time to see the door falling through the frame in the act of her door slamming.

_Ignorant bastard._

* * *

**This took a while to do because it's summer and I wasn't really into writing it. I wrote out all of the conversations, but the narration in between took be about seven tries and redos until I was completely satisfied. But that's no excuse and I apologize for the delay. **

**I don't own Naruto or any of its original characters.**

**xoxo**


	7. The Path Chosen

**Chapter Eight: The Path Chosen**

* * *

The situation itself was cancerous. The cancer could become threatening to the body and kill them, or the cancer would go away. In this case, the problem could be resolved, or it could continue to eat away at their bond. Together, they were cancerous, eating away at each other, yet sometimes there were symptoms and sometimes there was nothing. What an analogy

It was one hell of a soap opera.

If the new member couldn't keep them entertained, watching Leader and Sakura silently hate each other would do the job. Life's simple pleasure is what it was; a twisted kind of pleasure that the men at Akatsuki found to be enjoyable. Day in and day out, they waited for Leader or Sakura to have a conversation last more than a minute that wasn't a half-ass order and a full-force declination. On some days, there were never even in the same room.

Stubbornness fuelled this fire and none of them were about to put out the flame. They acted normal around others, but when in the same room, everything would become increasingly tense and almost life-threatening. It was the anger in their eyes—as emotionless as Leader's eye may appear, there was the glint. They wanted the kill each other, but they wouldn't. They cared for each other, but they wanted to tear each other apart.

It's been over a month now.

The "fuck you" that echoed through the whole base was followed by crash. It lasted a long three seconds, and within those three seconds, they swore hell had come and Leader and Sakura were engaged in battle. With a simple look around the doorframe of the kitchen, the only casualties was a door that leaned against the railing and hinges that had flown to the first floor.

They were ordered to not fix the damage.

It took her an hour and half to get her door back up and working again. It took the searching of nails and the taping of the half-working door. If someone wanted to come into her room, it would be pretty simple, all it took was a hard enough tap and the door would split in half. Complaining wasn't even an option. It was a useless act that would show him how much of a "child" he believed she was. A half-functioning door was something she could live with, but the nagging voice of a hooker was something she couldn't tolerate. As though her problem with the ignorant bastard wasn't grinding her gears enough, the hooker—who she will always believe hookered her way into the organization—was up her ass in everything.

The war she had with Pein was based on pride. Who would swallow their pride and apologize for their wrong—if they believed they were wrong. With the hooker, Kimoki, it was who could crack who into tears or into a million pieces first . Naturally, they took Kimoki's side. Obviously, the girl had ways of bribing the men that Sakura had no intention of doing. To make matters worse, Pein took her side too. It was his dirty way of playing this game, but if she had to, she will fight the entire organization alone. Maybe not alone, she did have Neko and Konan.

It hadn't slipped her mind once that Konan had romantic feelings for her egotistic friend. Now that they were both on the same page of hating what this organization had become, a bond was easily created.

"Holy fuck, don't be throwing knives around like that!" was an odd thing to be said to a shinobi by a shinobi, but the knife almost took off his ear. It planted itself in the wooden frame of the door, and there stood the two new members in another face off. They never lasted long; Leader would come in a break up much to men's disappointment.

If she heard him, she didn't show it. She hadn't even blinked in his presence. She focused so intensely at the character that stood in front of her with eyes sparkling with determination and anger. Her fierceness was what made her the most attractive, and that was about it. She may be developing slowly, but when contrasted with the new play toy, she was as sexually attractive as a china doll. So fragile and precious, she was, always under the Leader's care for everything. It's unclear as to how it was lately, but they weren't willing to push it further than they already have with the swearing and exposure of sexual desires in front of her.

The sink rumbled with the clashing of plates and her sub covered hand brought with it a single plate. It clacked when it hit the counter in the space between the two female members, but no words were exchanged.

_Over dishes_. Hidan thought humorously, leaning back to watch them fight over dishes. Just dishes, that's all they really were, yet a fight was about to break out over them. It was never clear in his mind the stupid fights girls pick with each other. The touching of hair, the breaking of a nail, or over dishes! _Females..._

Little things contribute. Little things build up to put them in the situation that they're in. The patience she believed she had a shitload of was running low, and she was anticipating the moment her supply empties. They were simply things like the nasty remarks made about her, the way Kimoki just expects her to clean up after her, and the way she threw a knife and her plate into the sink while she cleaned.

"If you can clean cum off a penis, you can clean your own plate." Hidan's smothered the uncontrolled chuckle with the palm of his hand. His shoulder shaking uncontrollably by the smart remark of pinkette. Usually, he would let his laugh boom through the base, however, with the insult being targeted the only thing that would grant his sexual fantasies, laughing out loud wouldn't gain him any brownie points.

Brown eyes flickered from the pinkettes face to the laughing idiot who stood to watch. Suddenly, her nose wrinkled and a smirk graced her lips, alerting Sakura that she came up with her retort.

"How about you make yourself useful and clean it?" She asked, crossing her arms and distracting Hidan instantly. She wasn't going to be made a fool of by a girl who had barely developed. One that she has hated for a long, long time.

_Useful_, she said. Making herself useful? She could take that remark from anyone in the base, anyone at all. Anyone besides the slut who did nothing useful for them but fuck anything that had a penis. Whether she was with them or not, they were still an evil organization that could function no problem. She made their life pleasurable while Sakura made their life convenient; cleaning after all the men and ensuring they were fed. But no way was she taking care of this slut, she contributed nothing but her STIs.

"How about you do more than open your legs and clean your own shit?" Her head moved with her attitude, and she hadn't remembered the last time this side of her had shown through. Arguing with Leader was something serious, something worth fighting for with all her heart and might—not with her attitude. It was a girl's fight really. Built on nothing but unrecognized jealousy.

Girls just hated each other for stupid reasons sometimes. This girl hated Sakura for reasons Sakura didn't even bother understanding, but would defend because she wasn't taking shit from a slut.

Kimoki had gone silent while her eyes moved back and forth from Sakura and the dish that nearly broke from how hard Sakura had slammed it on the marble counter. The knife was long forgotten in the wooden frame that would soon be questioned once Leader returned. He was gone, to Hidan's relief, and that meant the girls may end up brawling on the kitchen floor, ripping off each other's clothes and pulling each other's hairs.

Ah, a man can only hope.

"We'll just leave it there and I'll tell Leader that you just didn't do the dishes." Kimoki had only shrugged, believing as though she had won this fight, much to opposing fact.

Sakura had only laughed, wiping the smirk on the purple headed girl's lips as she looked at her in question. She gave off a smirk of her own, her lips pursing together, daringly. "Go ahead, it's not my job to anyways."

She did have a point.

"Hmph, like you have a position in this organization."

The fine hairs that made up her brow arched as she studied the girl. Her arms still perked up the fat around her chest and her weight had shifted to the leg closest to Hidan. He could have easily taken Kimoki's side, but Sakura's barely existent relationship with the Leader remain. He knew full well the only person who could get away with pissing the shit out of her was the Leader himself and Kimoki.

"I don't and everyone knows it." To this day the only reason she remained as a member of the organization was so she wouldn't rot in the cellar or be slaughtered for her demon. It proved that somewhere in her old best friends power craving soul that he cared—but that didn't cut it. But then there was her who thought to highly of herself for Sakura's liking. Too highly of herself where she was nothing more than a low-class prostitute, fucking men for the hell of it. Well, that didn't make her a prostitute then, she was just your basic slut. It was sickening. "But I'd rather be doing nothing, than doing what you're doing."

If doing the apparent "nothing" made her useless, then so be it. She'll be useless if that meant keeping her legs close and dirty penises out. There was no telling what got inside that loose hole of hers now. Sakura snorted at the thought of it.

"You're just mad because no one wants a useless girl like you." And suddenly Sakura's body had dropped to the ground, nearly missing the flying dish that may have given her a concussion, but settled for breaking into a dozen pieces from hitting the rock wall that was made by Sakura when she escaped. They never did replace the screen door now that Hidan thought of it—once he gotten over the slight shock that flowed through him.

He wasn't sure how much Kimoki could get away with, but he was positive she wouldn't have gotten away with this. If Sakura had let the plate hit her face and knocked her unconscious, surely it would've done her some good. But something like that would never happen. It would prove both party right; that she was useless and she was a child who couldn't defend herself.

Sakura wasn't gonna let Kimoki or Pein win.

"Obviously, you have jealousy issues." Kimoki shouted, trying to launch herself for an attack before a wall of water formed to knock her on her ass.

A neon blue glared behind the transparent wall before subsiding, allowing the water to crash to the ground.

"And obviously, you have insecurity issues if you think doing what you do makes you any more wanted than me." There face was only inches away from each other and Hidan desperately hoped that one would lean far enough so they could kiss—or one would throw a punch, whatever matter. Sakura towered over the fallen girl, her eyes now glaring a deep red that could easily knock out the girl. But instead she had straighten her form and headed for the door. "When they find a better looking whore, and they will, you'll be slaughtered in two seconds. But I'll remain."

Her statement had been spot on and Hidan had no intention of denying it. Once someone else crossed their path, someone who was tighter and willing to serve them to the best of their ability, Kimoki would become nothing but a distant memory. Well, the whole _willing _aspect had been a lie. They could easily kidnap and force any other girl to do it, but it was too much trouble to find the one. What they already had would have to do it.

However, Sakura couldn't be replaced. Once another demon container was to arrive, she would still be with them. All of the demons were wanted, so she did have a point.

The nails that she managed to keep sharp dug into the skin of palms and when she turned her hair flared. Her eyes were coated with anger and hate she brewed for Sakura—one that a thousand years of lashing out she was positive would never satisfied. Every time she struck at the girl, Sakura would still stand high and powerful; knocking her to the ground without much worry and brushing her off as if she was just dirt.

"The funny thing is that they all want to be around me, and none want to be around you." She practically screamed, but Sakura hadn't even turned around to aknowledge the frustration in her voice. Insult after insult, Sakura had something to counter it with. Something that would suggest that Kimoki was out of line or that the conversation was irrelevant.

"That doesn't bother me." She muttered, her pace slowed as she tilted her head to smirk at the girl who was now soaked in dirty dish water. "They can do as they please with their lives."

Kimoki growled in frustration, searching through her mind to find something to hit her with. Sakura had made it perfectly clear long ago that she didn't care for anyone who didn't care for her. She respected no one who dropped as low as sleeping with someone as Kimoki. Again, belittling the slut. However, deep in her heart remained the feelings she had for the Leader—something worth using against her to break her.

"One day, he's going to grow sick of you, child. And he'll only want me." Kimoki smirked, watching at as her face contorted itself into a thoughtful look.

It was a fact they both knew well—Kimoki hoped for it and Sakura unwillingly accepted it; denying it for as long as she could.

"When that day comes..." She sighed, her face dropping in defeat before it hardened. Her eyes stared deeply into Kimoki's, but this time they weren't red and they weren't blue. They were green, but burned like fire. Sakura's eyes were dangerous. If they were red she could knock the strongest man unconscious and performed jutsus that took people's years to master, and if blue she could call on the elements to cause any distraction she wished. But her green eyes spoke the loudest. If they were dull she wasn't in the mood to be messed with, but if they were intense like they were now, there was no chance anyone was going to win against her. Her determination simply couldn't be matched. "...you can have him."

But somewhere in her voice, they all knew she didn't want to mean it.

* * *

The door moved silently for the most part, only creaking when it was nearly fully opened. A whispered curse echoed to the silent part of the base, inaudible to the moans that echoed behind of the closed door. A foot had settled itself inside the room, silent to the person within. Blue eyes attempted to adjust to the darkness of the room, working the best they could to make out the figure that stood in the doorway.

The testosterone in his body hoped it was her, coming to him to offer him her sex. But staring at the height of his visitor he knew it wasn't true and he let out a groan. Had she seen his eyes she would have known it was out of disappointment instead of the pain of waking-up she mistaken it for. She hadn't planned on waking him up—just sneak into his room and curled up in the corner with the blanket she dragged with her.

"I didn't mean to wake you, sorry." She whispered, closing the door behind her and standing still in the darkness.

The black had engulfed her, leaving him with nothing to make out but the sound of her voice. His body struggled to his side and his arms extended to play with the knob of his lamp. A warm glow swallowed the darkness, exposing them both to it's warm light. She stood in his doorway with her body wrapped in blanket that once covered her bed. Dark circles rimmed the bottom of her eyes as she stared apologetically at him, but he could easily tell she had been crying earlier.

"Is there a problem, un?" He sat up quickly with eyes full of worry for his own personal health. They all knew what happened the last time she was found crying and although he got away with it that time, somewhere in his atoms told him that he wouldn't be so lucky this time.

She had opened her moith say something, but closed it and lowered her head. Her expression was troubled and her toes curled behind her blanket, though Deidara couldn't see. She let out a long sigh and watched his expression. Her eyes were half-open and she looked at him, almost pleadingly, knowing well that he would reject her.

"No..." She whispered, her voice cracking and she turned herself away from him quickly to cough—covering what he knew were tears. "Well, yeah...I just need place to sleep for the night."

_Yes_, Deidara thought, _I should say yes._ Because she was Leader's well protected little girl, because she was royalty—here and in Snow—but at the same time, it meant he had to say no. Not because he had planned something perverted, but because she had asked of him a favour and because it was a favour that would get him killed. But he couldn't straight out say no to her, not when she was already on the brink of tears. She'd run out crying and Leader would find out and because he had caused it this time, Sakura wouldn't defend him.

Whatever problem she was having he'll solve it, so they can both be happy.

"Why can't you—"

"She's in Itachi's room." Her voice was firm for the first time all night, startling him and pulling his sight away from the doorframe above her head to her straight face. Her jaws had tighten noticeably and her eyes flickered around the room, not daring to look at him and read his thought.

Ah, so she was only cranky because she couldn't sleep because they were getting sexy in the bedroom. She's so cute. But the problem at hand was couldn't solve that. Itachi would kill him if he walked in on the two and tried to break them apart, and who the hell said he would anyways? Jesus, if he caught them in the moment, he wouldn't be able to control himself and join in himself—even if it would get him killed.

"Un..." He groaned, a sinister smirk playing along his lips.

"Can I stay here for tonight?" She asked warily, seeing the kind of state a single sentence put him in. It wouldn't be safe, but she knew for sure that the wrath of a certain orange headed asshole was enough to stop him for trying anything if he agreed to her remaining.

But apparently that question was enough to pull him out of his little dream world. The ecstatic expression he had not so long ago was replace with horror and confusion. Was he to reject her or allow her to stay—each leading up to the same doom?

"..." He looked away and clawed at the back of his head, thoughtfully playing out the consequences for each of the given scenarios."Sure, but have you tried Konan's room—"

"Locked" She answered quickly, rubbing the back of her neck. She evaded his glance and stared at the chip walls of his room.

Her's was brand new, not chipped at all, yet they live in an environment such as this. Guilt replace the tiredness that ran through her as she realized she was asking way too much from a man who was nearly killed on her behalf. She'd just sleep on the couch or something, maybe even in the bathroom if she had to—somewhere that wouldn't get Deidara kill and where she couldn't hear them anymore.

It was heartbreaking, but she wasn't gonna let anyone know that.

"or Leader-sama's room, un?" She barely caught his statement and nodded absentmindedly.

From the beginning Deidara didn't want her in here and staying here was so long was giving the man a heart attack. The minute he turned his light on, she understood who he was hoping for, and she wasn't it. She'd gotten used to it, she told herself, she shouldn't care for a bunch of pigs. Even Deidara, although she caused him so much trouble.

"Hm, nevermind. You'll only get in trouble if he finds out." She whispered, tugging at the strings in her heart as he realized the mistake he made. Her eyes had closed momentarily and she turned to leave him—leave him the thought that he had just upset her. Dammit, what was he to do now that he caused her a bit of misery when all she wanted to do was sleep?

"...I didn't think he'd care anymore, un..." He said quickly, hoping that it would be enough for her to understand what he meant.

The door stopped its movements and she glanced over her shoulder to look at him, this time to let him know what his real mistake way through the red that replaced the green on her body. She gave him this look. One that said she had just looked him over and didn't like what she saw, and then she turned again, whispering"He doesn't, but he'll do it to piss me off."

* * *

"Why were you in the dungeon?"

It had been a quiet morning so far. Well, it was more like the afternoon seeing that Pein had already woken up. The usual was Itachi in the mornings, but seeing how he must have tired himself out last night, she knew being alone in his presence wasn't happening—much to her relief. The destruction she would want to cause to his every being for dropping to a level so low was overbearing. She knew that being alone with him wasn't a good idea—not for a long, long time.

Pein had arrived home last night, and she thanked herself for not giving in to the blonde's suggestion and sleeping in the Pein's room. She also thanked the fact that she hadn't stayed in Deidara's room either. Had Pein caught her in his room, he would think she was apologizing. Had he caught her in Deidara's room, another war would break out between the two again. The last one wasn't resolved as it is, she didn't need to start another one with him.

Though somehow she had missed his arrival back home, around the time where she descended the stairs and headed for the dungeons. The livingroom would only cause Pein to carry her to bed—it wasn't a sure fact, but she didn't dwell on it. The bathroom would mean no one was allowed in for the night, meaning they would be cranky from not being allowed pee breaks.

It was decided that she caused enough trouble as it is and the dungeon would be the best place to get away from the horny men and the slutty girl. It never amazed her how the idea that they were sharing the same women with 9 different meant escaped them. Horny or not, she knew she wouldn't be willing to share the same guy with 9 different girls, but maybe that was just her. Maybe that was just her heart telling her that if anyone touched the one she was involved with, she would place them in intensive care.

Though that didn't happen last night. But then again, they were no longer involved.

But maybe they never were involved. Sometimes she would lay there and question it all. She was nine and her was thirteen, did they even know what being involved meant? Did she even know what it meant now?

"I like it there, it's quiet." She finally answered, filling the tense air with tired words. It was quiet, but it wasn't comfortable.

Shakily, she managed to rise her body from the chair, unsure of how long she sat at the table. When she was sure it was early enough that she wouldn't be questioned, she pried herself off the dirty bed of her old cell and waddled her way into the kitchen. The wooden table wasn't as comfortable as the bed, but at least she could breathe out here.

Her gaze shifted from the wooden surface to the face of her once best friend. Easily, she could notice his disapproval of her choice of rooms, but that again was easily to brush off. She didn't approve in his choice of members, but he didn't see her shooting him disapproving looks every chance she got. Avoiding his existence was more like it.

The tapping of heels stopped her from brushing passed Pein, understanding too well that if they crossed paths between the doorway in the sense that one would half to wait for the other to move, an easily avoidable argument would ensue. Feeling too fatigue, Sakura wasn't up for those kinds of arguments today. No, now that Kimoki wasn't in Itachi's room, she could finally lie down in her bed and catch up on hours of sleep.

"Ooh, trying to prove something are we?"

The nasally voice and the body in the door frame kept her from escaping. A wide smirk crossed the girl's face, notifying her that sleep wasn't welcomed anytime soon.

"What?" Sakura sighed, yawning right after as she tried to make-out the girl through the blurs of her tears.

"Were you trying to outdo me, little girl?" Kimoki laughed, rolling her eyes in disbelief. "You know you'll never will."

A blank expression took over, and Sakura stared with disinterest at the slut."I still don't know what you're talking about."

What crime could Sakura commit over the course of one night, over the course of Kimoki fucking Itachi in bed while Sakura tried to find a place to sleep in silence? She wasn't sure what she had done to be on Kimoki's hate list for so long, but she knew perfectly well she had done nothing since they last argued that could spark up this argument.

"Don't act all innocent, I saw you—"

But then it hit her. The distant creaking of a door and the crackling of a light bulb. Her mind was too preoccupied with feeling sorry for herself, angry at Deidara, and fatigue that she hadn't noticed the two brown eyes that watched her leave Deidara's room. And although Kimoki hadn't been with for longer than one month, that all it took for the girl to know what every fibre of her body stood for and what she would go down fighting for.

The injury of another on her behalf wasn't something she would tolerate, it was something proven quite clear to everyone the first day Kimoki was here. Without realizing it, she had exposed herself so clearly to an enemy—leaving her vulnerable to be taken down.

"Nopes." Sakura said quickly, stealing a quick glance at the third party in the room. It was perfectly clear why this conversation was brought up. Like Sakura had been studying Kimoki, Kimoki had been studying her. Without Leader's presence in the room, the conversation wouldn't have started, but since he was, Kimoki was using him to get back at Sakura by going against what she fought for. "I don't need to drop to your level. It's beneath me."

Just fuck them both.

"Don't act like you're better than me." Her voice echoed off the walls of kitchen, causing a very tired pinkette's eyes to close to steady herself from the sudden loud, annoying noise.

Amused is what she was as she opened her eyes to stare at the angry girl. Here she was, trying to get some good sleep and this girl was getting angry while arguing with a half-dead person. Goodness, it was so pathetic, she wasn't sure why she was even caught up it in. Well, she knew well that it was the competitiveness that ran through her, but she wasn't even sure why it was she was so competitive. She even said it herself that Kimoki would be slaughtered soon while she remained with the men. Maybe she was just tired and cranky.

However, a low rumble in her throat formed, angering the girl with asymmetrical hair even more. Sakura had the nerve to laugh at her while she was this close to getting her in so much shit, it was infuriating.

"I am better than you." Sakura answered, opening her mouth and laughing louder. Her eyes closed with her laughter as Kimoki's fist that closed with anger. Brown eyes darted from the overly-tired laughing idiot to the Leader who stood silently to observe it all. He was her only chance of winning, she knew that from the beginning.

"Bullshit, he'll still come running to me when he wants it." She stated, catching the Leader's attention instantly—knowing what was implied with her words.

The laughing subsided as quickly as it began and green eyes bore into her form, studying her as it had since the day she arrived. Sakura didn't trust her, she had known since day one, and coming here she knew she wouldn't. But that wasn't of any importance to her task at hand.

"And I believe he will." She said evenly, raising an eyebrow and challenging her to continue with the conversation that shouldn't had ever begun.

Her body twisted to stand parallel to the powerful man, her breast prompting forward from the closeness of her chest as she stared innocently up at him, hoping that he would take her side. Individually, they had targeted the pinkette, but she only needed a reason for them to attack her together. It would be enough to break her, she was sure, and that's all she ever wanted—ever needed.

"Sakura was—" She began, twirling the strand of the longest part of her hair. She had bit her lip before she begun, but beginning was as far as she got. An unfathomable force connected with her shoulder, knocking her to the group as it had done the day before and she only looked up to watch a girl half her development take her place beside the man who could grant her everything she could wish for.

"It was nothing." She stated unemotionally, not even bothering to give him the affection Kimoki had attempted to do.

She believed she could get away with that. She believed she was so great that she didn't need sweet taking or seduction to get what she wanted. She believed she didn't need to work just as hard as Kimoki did to get what she had been fighting for since the beginning and that...that was what made her snapped.

Her body lunged forward at the young her, taking her by both shoulders and forcing her back as hard she could from getting off the ground so fast. "Don't fucking push me."

Sakura had only taken two steps back and her face hadn't changed to fear or surprise. Instead, her body moved forward again, but halted immediately; an arm wrapped around her waist forcing her to do so.

"Stop." The authority in his voice was covered by the small concern he had for her well being, only for it to go unnoticed by the anger that took over her body. Green eyes glared up at the man before manipulating her body in a way that it would move away from his hold.

With the anger now directed towards her, Kimoki smirked. Confidently she continued, aware of what will play out once she did. _Destruction._

"Sakura was in Deidara's room last night." She chirped, smiling sinisterly as Sakura stared at her in disbelief.

Sakura hadn't dared look over at Leader's face, knowing that it would show nothing while his eyes showed everything. Deidara was a dead man again, and she had went out of her way to make sure it wouldn't happen again. Obviously, going with the first option that popped in her head when she knew she had to get out of her room hadn't been a good idea, and she had realized it when Deidara kept on rejecting her.

Now what was she to do?

"I couldn't sleep." She said evenly, allowing an apologetic expression to cross over her features as she stared up at Pein on Deidara's behalf.

She remembered well what had happened when he came to realize she had been sleeping in Sasori's room. The conclusions he came to almost left the puppet dead if she hadn't directed his anger towards her.

"My room was available." She flinched at his voice, the anger—she realized—totally out of line.

With their quarrelling, had he really expect her to reside to his room?

"Why the hell would I sleep in your room?" She moved back, disgust and confusion flooding her system. He was a disgusting man, expecting her to obey him like every member in the organization out of fear. He knew her too well to expect that, but he loved himself too much to expect less.

"Why the hell would you sleep in his room?" He retorted, prepared to go fetch the said man.

"I didn't!" She shouted, shifting her body and cutting off the access to the living room. Had he really believed her to be an idiot as to do such a thing when she knew the consequences too well? Nearly a punch in the face and the shattering of his existence. No, she was _this _close to experiencing it a month ago. "I was in there for two minutes, and then I left to sleep in the dungeon!"

It was Kimoki's turn to laugh. The distress in her voice was all too delicious to miss. Moreover, she couldn't even manage to keep him interested, kicked out before she had the chance to seduce him and let him stay in her room. Obviously, she was aware that that wasn't the case, but Leader didn't know that and what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him—just Sakura.

"He doesn't want you, see?" Kimoki smirked, sticking her tongue out.

Somewhere deep inside her told her it would be okay to kill this time. Her uncle wasn't because of the irony of it all, but Kimoki, there was no irony, no sympathy, and there wouldn't be any guilt. A simple flick of her wrist and she could snap the girls neck. It would all be over and she could live on at Akatsuki, hating everyone. It sounded so simple, now that she thought it through—just snapping her neck and all.

Deidara wouldn't mind. She was trying to get him killed anyways.

"And I don't want him either, I just wanted to get away from your hookering."

"That's not even a word."

"It is now?" A breathless laugh followed and she glanced back at Pein, who was still set on going upstairs and beating the shit out of Deidara for doing absolutely nothing. If only Kimoki had done her job and fucked him instead of Itachi. One day, she was going to kill this girl, she was sure of it. "You are an insecure motherfucking hooker who hookered her way into this organization because you can't do anything else."

"Yeah? Well I can kick your ass!"

And that really was all it took. If she was instigating it then so be it. She'll take the challenge and fulfil her newly made goal—and Pein was there to watch her start it. With his witness and the slut dead, he had no right to blame her when it was made perfectly clear that Kimoki asked for it. If the other men hated her for it, so be it, they'll find someone new in no time anyways.

"Come at me slut!" The blanket that was still wrapped around her body flew out of peripheral vision, landing somewhere unimportant as she moved forward. A arm curved around the girls body, pulling her behind a body two times her size. Now it was two people she would have to kill. "You're protecting her?"

Involuntarily, she stomped her foot and raised herself to meet his eye level. A line of curses echoed through her mind and she lowered herself and stepped back. But her glare didn't subside. She allowed herself to stare into his eyes, while hers twitched, threatening to threaten him with her Sharigan. But as much as she hated their existence and as much as she wanted to prove her point, she understood that something such as activating the Sharigan was taking things too, too far.

"Are you criticizing my judgement?" His voice remained calm, and she knew that he knew that something like protecting Kimoki was going to severe their bond even more. It hung by a thread now, and he was pushing it—believing he could fix it anytime he wanted. Apparently, the events occurring in the last month hadn't made its way through that thick skull of his.

She didn't expect any less.

"Yes, on your choice of members and women." A smile, too good to be true, flashed before him. And eyes, so wide and happy sent shivers up his spine. He wouldn't have any of it.

"I chose you."

A grunt followed his statement and she turned from him.

_If he had a choice between Kimoki and I, he'd choose her._ She thought bitterly, forcing the emotional pain that threatened to take over to subside. _He already has._

What a hypocrite he turned out to be though, threatening to kill anyone who tried to hurt her, yet hurting her himself. He chose her, he said, because it would keep her alive long enough to be treated like shit. Maybe killing her would've been better, they wouldn't be facing off like this, for the millionth time over the course of one month.

And now she stood silently, unsure if she even wanted Kimoki dead. Another one was going to come and all of this was to happen all over again. She would sleep with all the men in Akatsuki and Pein would take her side if Sakura objected.

"And now I feel disgusted that you did." Her head shook with such a disappointment she never felt before. Not even when Itachi killed his family, and not when he punched her. She saw it coming, she even unwillingly expected it, but this was all so disappointing that she couldn't fathom how she could still face him.

"Watch yourself."

A quiet laugh escaped her lips. The kind of laugh that would anyone's heart break, but she wasn't sure if he had a heart anymore—wasn't sure if the only thing that made up his being was ego, pride, and lust.

"Y'know what? It doesn't take skill for a girl to open her legs. And you let a girl join because she's so willing to do it for you—along for the rest of the world." All he saw was the her back. Her refusal to even face him made the blood that ran through his body turn hot with anger towards everyone and everything, especially her. But then she pushed it. "Hilarious."

A joke was the last thing he would ever be taken for. The leader of Akatsuki was no joke. The rein of fear he had over people had proven himself to be anything but funny, however, he was a laughing stock to her.

The tolerance he tried to maintain with the excuse that she was only a child diminished.

"It's humorous, you would know." And every atom in her body made her dropped. She didn't dare turn to face him, scared that he would see how strongly affected her. Tears and laughter threaten to escape her, all at once, she wasn't sure how it was even possible.

"You know what, Kimoki? I think that day has come." She whispered when she found her voice, only tilting her head slightly to catch a small glimpse of them. If he wanted to drop to a level so low, one that she found to lower that Kimoki, then so be it. "You can have it all."

She wasn't going to care for someone who did nothing but hurt her. She learned the hard way with Itachi, and Pein would just be another one. Kimoki could have them both, she deserved them.

* * *

Sad, grey eyes watched the body of the young boy as he struggled to wake and struggled to accept. It's been a rough journey for them both, but he knew the one in front of him took it the hardest. Abandonment wasn't a good feel, especially when it could have been prevented like he believed. Now there was nothing left of his team, but his sensei, a perverted man who let the whole ordeal unravel in front him, not bothering to keep it together.

For a moment, his blue eyes held nothing but confusion as the only thing visible was white. Maybe he had died—that would've been better. But turning his head, his sensei knew he was the last person the boy wanted to see, and laying in the hospital bed was the last place he wanted to be. His face crumbled instantly at the failure he couldn't accept.

_This can't be real._

"Naruto..." Kakashi said warmly to the best of his ability, trying to sooth the boy with his voice although everyone knew it was impossible. The only people who could be able to sooth the angry boy were now gone, out of reach for God knows how long. Where they were was a mystery. When they would see them next was an even bigger mystery.

"He got away, Kakashi-sensei." The words managed to escape between his deep breaths. Tears mixed with snot, but neither of them made a move to clean it. His face whipped over to side, refusing to look at his sensei and refusing to look at the village that turned their backs on the people most important to him. "I couldn't bring him back."

Had Kakashi made it in time, things may have turned out differently. But he was late again—always late. Not only had he failed to bring Sasuke back, but he also failed the mission he was assigned months ago. _Keep the seal sealed, keep an eye on Sasuke so he does not pursue his brother, and watch over Sakura._ All of them he had failed over the course of a few months.

The first team to ever pass his test and they all disappear. Their potential was more noticeable than he thought it to be.

"I know Naruto, it's alright." He tried.

"No, it's not!" The machines and wires move with his body. Some disconnected, while some machines fell forward. Kakashi made no move to save them, allowing the boy to throw as big of a tantrum as he needed—he could at least give him that. "I couldn't save either of them and now they're both gone!"

_Gone_, was such a lonely word. It had the ability to empty out a person's soul of all it's content. His heart felt lonelier than it had in years and he was right to decide not to feel more for his student than needed, but they were also the only thing he really had and lost. They were gone.

Strong fingers hooked on the back of the chair and uncaringly dragged it across the white tiled floor. He slump down easily and leaned forward, cradling his chin on the back of his folded hands. "You cannot blame yourself. You cannot blame yourself for the paths they've taken it life."

A way to condole himself he was sure, so he could quit feeling so guilty. The paths they have taken could've easily been blocked by him, preventing them from moving forward and severing their path with Naruto.

"It just can't end like this, our paths can't just cross like this and separate!" His dominant hand began tearing needles and tapped on wires from his body, falsely alarming Kakashi of his failed heart, but Kakashi only watched with a barren eye. "If only I could have saved them. I could have saved Sasuke from Orochimaru during the second round of the Chuunin exam and Sakura in the third!"

Yes, maybe Naruto could have and maybe Kakashi could have either, but would it change anything in the end? Sasuke would still seek power someway, somehow and Akatsuki would come after Sakura, as they did Naruto, in the end. But had Sasuke left searching aimlessly for power, he may have been slaughtered in the wild. Had some other pair of Akatsuki members came after Sakura, she may have been slaughtered as well.

Did he really prefer it this way?

"...we are all different. We travel the same paths until we understand our life purpose and have dreams and goals." He muttered, surprising himself with how wise he managed to sound about a problem he may as well caused.

What an indecisive man he was, always doubting himself. It was easier on the battle field; he didn't have time to second guess himself then. But sitting in the hospital room with Naruto, he had all the time in the world—like he had when they were on their first B-rank mission. He had all the time in the world so second guess Sakura, and from time to time he still did it.

He just had too much time on his hands.

"Mine is to be Hokage and I understand that Sasuke wishes to seek revenge, but what about Sakura-chan? What's her life goal? And why Akatsuki?" Naruto body sat wired free and he stared at his lap thoughtfully.

Sakura's life goal couldn't have been to join Akatsuki, could it? To live with a bunch of men who would rather rape and kill her than anything else. Had it been to seek power, Sakura could've shot through the ranks no problem. But she hadn't bothered to, although Itachi had said she was to be ANBU by the abilities she possessed. Moreover, the oppression of her demon made him questioned all of that altogether.

She didn't want power. She didn't want fame. She didn't want anything. All she had ever done since the first day he met her was act like any other person he knew. She stated with her respective age group and tried nothing to stand out from the rest. Most of the time she was quiet and all the other times it was to piss Sasuke the hell off, say some kind words, or sarcasm.

Knowing that she was a demon container and half-ass knowing that Itachi had trained her, it was a mistake to mistaken her for an ignorant child the first day their grouped formed. Ignorant wasn't the right word, too knowledgeable would be more suited. She knew well to hid it, she knew well to underestimated. She wouldn't pose a threat and maybe wouldn't have if the Hokage hadn't recognize her. Had she excelled the council would question as they were now, and if they had then then she may have been locked up and guarded, causing more casualties than none when Itachi had come to retrieve her.

"She said she never really thought about it, so maybe she doesn't really know." His voice remain its usual calm, remembering when his questionnaire went around she decided to be as vague as he was. He noticed it, but paid no attention to he spite. Something such as that wasn't important then, but it would be now—if only he hadn't started the game.

"For a lazy, pervy man, you remember everything, don't you Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto let out a helpless, breathless chuckle. It sounded much like his attempt to scream when he thought Sasuke and Sakura were about to do something _Hentai_ in front of them. Really, that made the highlight of his day.

But the relationship between Sakura and Sasuke was still up for question. All these years did she genuinely care for the boy or was to keep an eye on him for his older brother. The relationship between Sakura and Itachi, he decided, was an abusive one. Their last encountered they noticed the bruise the graced her face and she had said, venomously, that Itachi was the doer.

Abusive or professional, it didn't matter. Kakashi guessed that all that mattered now was that Sakura was still alive, giving them the chance that she may be rescued one day. In contrast, Sakura had a better chance of coming out of this alive than Sasuke, but he wasn't gonna tell Naruto that. The boy would get right back up and bolt in some direction, convinced that it was the way to Orochimaru's base. There were reasons why Sakura could survive an unknown number of men that made up Akatsuki. If Naruto ever tried to take her from there, he would survive with her help. However, if Naruto ever tried facing Orochimaru, Sasuke wouldn't be much help—not yet.

"I do." Kakashi hummed.

Naruto leaned back into his pillow and stared at the expressionless ceiling. Sakura must have something and when she did, he was sure she would escape to fulfil it. Maybe, right now, it was to escape. That had to be it...what else could it be?

"What do you think her life goal is?" He mused, turning himself to stare at the only other member of Team Seven. He wouldn't wish this fate among any other team, but in the darkest corners of his heart he knew he did. Lucky number seven—how ironic.

"Hm...maybe she hasn't decided yet."

Maybe, but still...

"But if she did, what do you think it would be?" He couldn't figure it out. Sakura, one of the strongest he was sure, couldn't just be walking around with all that power with a plan for nothing. Being that strong she could accomplish anything. She could seek vengeance—which she already had, unintentionally—she could restore her clan without worrying that it may be wiped out again. Anything before the kidnapping she could accomplish, but she stayed by their side.

She must have planned something.

"Like you and Gaara, it would be to belong, right?"

"Yeah..." That's what he figured it would be. That's what they both figured it would be. All those times she could've killed Zabuza, she didn't. She let Kakashi do his job, while she did hers—which was to be a perfect little genin. She could have killed Haku before finding out that he was family, but she let Kakashi do that. She could have taken down that gang of thugs on the bridge, but she let everyone else do that. And Ino, wow, she could've advance through the three rounds no problem, but she stayed with her team and did something to protect them.

The only time he had ever seen Sakura fight was when it came to protecting Naruto, Sasuke, and the village. All the other times she stood on the sidelines and intervened when she felt it to necessary. She never let any of them die, but she didn't do as great of a job as Kakashi would've liked her too.

But then again, neither had he.

"And with caring for you and Sasuke, it would be to protect."

To protect him and Sasuke and to belong. It sounded rather dull to him. For that to be a life goal, a _life _goal, Sakura would live such a boring life. It was nothing compared to being with Akatsuki, and even then Sakura didn't look like she was having an adventure.

If Naruto was as powerful as they made Sakura to be, he'd steal the title of Hokage from right under Tsunade's nose. He couldn't expect Sakura to do that, with her being the princess of an entire country and all. Well...now that he thought of it, maybe it was to protect. She would have to do so anyways, that was her destiny. Protecting him and Sasuke was only the beginning, soon enough there would be a while entire kingdom, a while entire country, for Sakura to take over.

That is, if she could make it out of Akatsuki.

"But as a life goal to be as simple as that?" Still, it was too simple.

"Indeed it's not as flashy and extravagant as revenge or becoming Hokage, but she may belong to Akatsuki until the day she dies if that would ensure the safety of our village." Maybe she readjusted what she wanted in life the day they threatened her to join, was what Kakashi meant. But using the word _threaten _and _Akatsuki _and _Sakura _in the same sentence wouldn't be a good idea. He knew Sakura had the ability to protect him, however, he didn't want to take the chance. Kakashi wasn't losing every single member of a team who managed to pass his bell test, even if it was Sakura alone who forced them to work together. "And she wouldn't mind a thing because it would be protecting you."

She must have wanted something for herself.

"I just thought that you would say something like getting married and having kids." Naruto sighed, his legs working feverishly to remove itself from under the white sheets. "Like Sasuke, since she already has her revenge; all she needs to do is restore her clan."

Sakura had practically raised Sasuke and himself to begin with. Cooking for them and ensuring they were safe. He could see her living the rest of her days as a housewife and a mother if she wasn't with Akatsuki.

It was something they both agreed on. Sakura had the skill of a fighter and a mother. She loved fiercely and maybe that was the reason why she had become so strong. To fight as fiercely as she loved. He almost envied those who lived in Snow.

"She does take care of people."

"I just hope her path and Sasuke's path leads them back to Konoha, one day." Naruto sighed again, a part of him accepting that they were too out of his reach. They would have to come back themselves, he couldn't chase them both. "But I hope Sakura and Sasuke's paths meet first, just so she can knock some sense into him for leaving me like this."

Kakashi chuckled at the hope that varnished his remaining member. Well, if he could have hope then Kakashi guessed he could to.

* * *

"Don't you send me on another mission with her, _ever _again."

The door slammed immediately, loud enough to echo through the base, but not enough to break the hinges like it had with her door. So, she learned some self-restraint—or she knew that doing something as stupid and breaking the Leader's door wouldn't help her with her case. Her shoulders shook as she took deep breaths. Her Sharingan spun involuntary and she made no move to deactivate it.

Her anger filled the room, literally. The temperature increased by three degrees since her door slamming, not like she noticed. Her body was so much hotter than the room. It radiated with heat that she wasn't sure how nothing caught on fire already.

He merely glanced up at her before looking back down at the paperwork in front of him. He didn't have the time to argue with her about who and who she didn't like to be paired with, and if he was honest, he was surprise that she was even talking to him about it. Full-heartedly, he expected Kimoki to come back handicapped from Sakura's wrath. Something to prove that she could handle this mission like the adult she believed she was.

Or simply because she hated him for his remark the other day, something like that.

"You are not in the position to—" He had only began, only to be cut off by the booming voice of the child in front of him.

"You see this?" She shouted, twisting her shoulder forward and pointing at the flesh that was perfectly fine. "There's a hole in my arm."

Not one that existed, obviously.

He raised his eyebrow at her insanity before looking back at the paperwork in front of this. A shinobi and she was complaining about a hole in her arm. _Pathetic. _Shinobis don't even complain about a fatal gash in their necks and here he was was, raising a child who is supposedly as strong as ANBU, who had a problem with a hole that wasn't even big enough to see.

"Hn." He sighed.

"It's because she injected a sleep drug in me." She continued anyways, deciding too late that starting her case off with _There's a fucking hole in my arm_ wasn't a good idea.

But indeed, it was a sleeping drug that somehow had injected into her when it was Kimoki's turn to stand watch. Too bad for them the moment they turned around Neko had pushed all the contents out of her body, keeping her awake to hear a very, very juicy conversation.

"..."

The options he was weighing with his mind left her bored and restless. He wasn't sure who to trust, but really, if after what she is about to say is over and he still chooses the slut...well, she wouldn't know what to do with herself anymore. She was already angry as it was that she nearly ripped of the head of the girl once she decided it was about time that the drug should wear off—but she knew that wouldn't do her too kindly once she returned.

She decided that whatever Leader had in mind would satisfy her enough. That way, they'd both be happy—or at least satisfied.

"She's working for Orochimaru." She finally said, deciding that his confusion let on too long. Surely it shouldn't take that long for him to choose sides. Like, Kimoki wasn't the one who was stabbed with a needle by a Sound-nin while they discussed the progress of the plan to overthrow Akatsuki. If the mission and dealing with Kimoki's bickering wasn't enough, when they had decided to rest, the Sound-nin oh-so-quietly—not—had tried to sneak up on them. Instantly, Sakura knew there was something off by the way Kimoki didn't react, by the way she was practically welcoming them when they came.

A grip on her arm forced her eyes closed as they turned her over and injected what she later found out to be a sleeping drug, thanks to Kimoki's loud mouth and their idiots belief that Sakura was unconscious. They were discussing Kimoki's retrieval of a scroll, one that Akatsuki possessed, one that was the reason why she was there in the first place. No matter what it was, she was working for Orochimaru.

And it explained so much if only the men had swallowed their lust and realized it. Why hadn't see realized it? No other explanation laid for how she managed to discover the base, no matter how strong she was—which she wasn't to begin—a Kage couldn't find the base. He entrance was informed by another, a former member, a snake bastard who cursed her friend. _Orochimaru!_

"This is beneath you." He finally answered coolly, finally acknowledging the fact that she was standing in front of him and lifted his head to stare her down.

Her face twisted in confusion. Beneath her for what? For trying to save a place she has grown to hate? For men she had grown to find disgusting? Somehow, being insulted by the Leader of Akatsuki wasn't as painful as she thought it would. It was more confusing than anything. "What do you mean?"

"To lie." He finished evenly, unaffected by the disbelief and underlying hurt the furnished her face.

"I'm not lying." She snapped, but he wasn't convince she could tell. If anything, he had dismissed her by looking back down at the paper in front of him. "I'm not. While she thought I was knocked out, she met up with messengers of Orochimaru. She's after a scroll in this base and—"

"Enough."

And for once she had listened to his order. She silently stood there, staring at him with so much disappointment it would make his mother cry. Not like he knew her to begin with.

"Okay, listen Mister McEgo pants, that slut that joined us one month ago is here to tear this place apart. And I'm sorry that you don't want to admit that you made the mistake of allowing her to join, but—"

He stood in front of her instantly, taking her of guard, but she didn't take a step back. She wasn't stepping down to the man who would prefer to follow his penis rather than his mind or heart. She hated men like them the most and Pein knew it. If he wanted her to hate him, he was getting there. Oh, he was getting so close that he could feel it trying to seep through her skin.

"The only mistake I made, was keeping you here."

Should she be hurt by this? No. Was she? Maybe a little. The only mistake was keeping her here, well, it wasn't like she didn't already know that. She didn't belong and only stayed to protect Naruto and herself. She could've left long ago, she just needed a good enough reason to do so.

"Yeah, it was." She snorted. "But that's beside the point I'm trying to make here. She—"

"She is right. You are envious."

It was so tempting to reach up and punch him in the face. She had wanted to so bad when he implied that she opened her legs for anyone, but the tears had stopped. Nothing else could top off that insult. Nothing else would be able to make her cry. She could easily swing her arm and send him flying through the window.

_Envious, my ass_. Was she envious of all the attention the girl got? Nope. The only thing she was envious about was how they hung on her every will and every word. Just that, but to get attention in the way she was, there was nothing to be envious about. At the end of the day, once her vagina became too loose, no one would look at her.

No one would look at Sakura either, but that was never much a problem to begin with.

"I'm not jealous. If you guys prefer her over me, then that's fine, I don't give two shits. Not even one, but realize what you're doing right now."

She spun on her heel, turning to leave while she still had her anger under control. Let Akatsuki go down for all she really cared, then she could go home and see Naruto and Sasuke and Ryuu. Living here was a bore and a pain at the same time and no doubt Kimoki would be doing everyone a favour if she tore the organization down. It was one less of an evil organization to worry about.

"I don't need a little girl telling me how to run my organization."

"Obviously, you do because you are doing a helluva shitty job."

She had half turned when she began, but her vision had blurred when she caught a glimpse of him. Her whole body ached from the wall—her neck the most. Her lids closed to suppress the pain in her head and shoulders and her back. Every inch of her body that had hit the wall when Pein grabbed her by the neck and pinned her there.

"Listen to me—" He growled, his breath hearing up her cheek.

"Pein, stop." She gasped with trimmed nails clawing at the wrist of a man who she believed would never do this to her. The one punch in the kitchen had been an accident, she never held that against him. But this, no, this wasn't real. It couldn't be.

"I am the leader of this organ—"

But black started to take the form of his face and her ears couldn't make out the words. It was a long screening sound that filled her brain, scaring her shitless and she tried, with all the energy she could gather from her lack of air, to set herself free.

"Let me go!" She manage to shout, her knees lifting up and forcing him back. The wall balanced her as the pounding and the screeching subsided to the sound of Pein's breathing. He had almost killed her right there. Almost. She'd pay a million bucks to see how helpless he would look if he had. _Wow, I'm messed up._

It was probably her lack of air, she figured, and she rubbed her neck gingerly as she glared at him with her Sharigan now spinning, ready to give him a piece of her mind. But before she could react, when she had to close her eyes again to keep her world from spinning, her whole body shot to the left and a paint shot through her face.

It was stinging and numbing at the same time, and crying made her eyes a ton times heavier. Her lungs did its best to processed the oxygen from her shallow breaths, but again she faced the darkness and tucked herself into a defensive ball. She was dying, she swore she was.

"Listen here."

But the screening took over again. The vibration of grounds was the only thing she could sense, knowing full well that he was approaching her.

"You just punched me." She managed to whisper, intensifying the pain in her cheek. Same spot Itachi punch and she bitterly know mentality categorizing was a bad idea. Now they were proving her right, and if she wasn't right in her mind, she may have laughed at how right they wanted to prove. It was a fairly easy process to follow, and man, did she have to get her hand on that book.

"I am the leader and you are under my orders."

_A three step trick to break your relationship with Haruno Sakura. One, imprison her. Two, insult her. Three,_ and this one was her favourite, _punch her in the face. _

"You just fucking punched me!" The punch that was meant to shatter his face like he shattered hers tipped her over, and in one swift movement he was behind her, holding her in place with his body. Had neither of them been so angry, they may have realized how inappropriate the position was. Good thing they were angry. "You bastard, you just punched me!"

The flattening of his palms on the wooden table silenced the base—no, it shook it. His breathing became heavy as she towered over her body who stilled by the sound of his voice.

"Be quiet and listen!" He growled in her ear, causing an ache to creep through her brain by the volume. "As long as you remain, you are to follow my orders as I give them, when I give them. I've been lenient with your behaviour and in return, you've become a spoiled little brat. That is of no more. You are a member and I am your leader. Am I clear?"

"Get off me."

"Am I—"

"I said get off me!" The rumble in her throat threatened everyone with in a mile range and as quickly as he was one her, he was off. A force, clearly stronger than he was, forced his body flying so quick, there wasn't time to rearrange himself to land gracefully. The wind played with his cloak and hair, and looking up, he realized Neko was causing the destruction.

Sakura's eyes devoured his being. If the hate were in the form of daggers, they would've killed him, no doubt. They weren't a fierce green, must worse. They glowed a vibrant blue as the room shook and spun. Scrolls, ink and pen encircled her as she stood in the centre with eyes so full of hate and pain, Satan would cry for her. But once it subsided, all he could make out was pain.

Her face crumbled and tears spilled from her eyes, flowing over the black bruise and blood that covered her cheeks.

"I will never, ever forgive you." She choked, her body turning to the door. Had she noticed he tried to stop her with his eyes, she would've been mad. Luckily, Neko made sure nothing was felt. Pink hair wildly flowed behind her was she left, but not before "Fuck you." escaped her bloody lips.

Everyone knew, from the experience a month ago, what would follow that insult, but there was nothing.

Her tears left droplets on the floor and if the members weren't to busy notice the bruise that made itself at home on her face, they may have noticed she was crying. It didn't matter either way. They didn't care and Pein didn't care.

But she had only hoped to be wrong with what she though a few days ago. If only she had been wrong when she thought Pein would choose Kimoki over her. He made his choice and she was making hers. This game is ending here.

* * *

**I am extremely sorry for the delay of this story. How long has it been actually? Seven months maybe? And of all times to choose to continue it, well, right now wasn't the best. I had been too caught up with school work that I didn't have the chance to sit down and write. And whenever I did have the chance, I was busy enjoying the relaxing moment. But back to the point, I have an exam tomorrow and I spent all day doing this. Oh wells. I regret nothing...yet.**

**I'm actually very excited for the next chapter though. It's the one I've been planning in my head for a while. So, finally! **

**I don't own Naruto or any of its original characters.**

**xoxo**


	8. False Trust and Secrecy

**Chapter Nine: False Trust and ****Secrecy**

* * *

Walking through that door may be the last thing he'll ever do. The only thing that separated him and his possible death was a plain piece of wood; one that could easily be blown down by a gust of wind—but it being there was still comforting. He pace noticeable slowed and he didn't dare take his clench hands out of his pockets. To enter or not to enter, that was what he's been debating that whole month.

Sending ANBU would be a violation of trust and he was the only one strong enough, yet not threatening enough, to be allowed in. Well, he himself was a threatening men, but unpleasant events of the past had proven him to pose as only a small pebble on a hill, not a rolling bolder. Now stripped of his ANBU rank, he was immediately chosen where it may have been Gai if he remained ANBU. Not that he wanted Gai to die; no, that wasn't the case at all. The mental torture was straining at him that he preferred it be Gai instead of him—the man could be happy about anything, he couldn't. Hatake Kakashi was just way too cynical to be optimistic. Hell, he was the most pessimistic person he knew.

And right now he knew that he was a dead man.

With a heavy sigh his body slumped and hesitantly he pushed open the door. He had half a second to change his mind and run in the opposite direction and his eyes trailed after the swinging door. Had he grabbed it and shut it as quick as he opened it, no one would have said a thing to him, but his body didn't move. His body didn't want to move. He didn't want to run back or move forward; just stay standing where he was and hope that they couldn't see him.

Red clouds does that to a person.

A second or two was long enough for them to size him up, and taking a deep, inaudible breath, he proceeded to take his seat beside the Hokage. How taunting it was to be seated beside an empty seat. At least someone had the gut—or the lack of it—to not show up to the meeting.

_Lucky asshole._

"Seems like you've only managed to be 5 minutes late this time, Kakashi." Tsunade snorted, not tearing her eyes away from the door he abruptly walked in from.

He decided it was not best to give one of his smart-ass remarks—or mention the absence of the man beside him. It was remarkable really, how early it actually is for him to be at the right place at the right time. But obviously, what's at hand was much more important than dwelling on the fact that he was practically early. Maybe tonight when everyone sat at the bar and rejoiced the day, it would be brought up. Or they may end up dead—but what a way to go out.

Concentration glossed the Hokage's light brown eyes and Kakashi knew well she was second guessing it, hating herself because she second guessed too late. Her lips rested against the folded fingers of her hand, much like she was imitating Sasuke, who sat four seats to Kakashi's left.

It was easily noted that there was something dark behind is black eyes, something much darker than the last time Kakashi saw him. They were darker, agonizing, but at the same time, they were empty. Kakashi didn't doubt that that would be what consumed Sasuke the next time they met—though it happened to quite a few who leave and return. The young man never had a peace of mind since the massacre of his family, or his revenge for that matter, yet he sat across from the man responsible and who many deemed responsible for Sakura's death.

He was bordering of insanity as they sat there in the uncomfortable silence.

How long her body had been rotting in the battlefield, no one actually knew. Her body was practically soil when Akatsuki had the chance to stumble upon it. All that remained was bits of burnt, pink hair and a very vague outline of her distorted body. The sockets that once held her eyes had been clawed out and there was a gaping whole through her abdomen. She had died a gruesome death, but many of the Akatsuki member knew that with that fate, she had mercy. Only one person escaped Akatsuki and lived to tell the tale, and an ever more terrible fate may have befallen on her had she been brought back.

But that thought had barely existed. The troubling thing about her mysterious death was the wild goose chase at hand to find out who had the demon and two the Sharigan. Troubling, threatening; they were practically the same thing weren't they? Whoever had killed her opposed a threat by not withholding two very strong abilities, but possess the ability alone to destroy a girl who held her ground against two members and the leader of Akatsuki.

That was something to fear and hate all at once; that Sakura had died because of what she was instead of whom. It ate away at him while he denied it, and no longer being able to anticipate it, Sasuke made Ami take him to her body. It bordered Rain and Fire, and although arriving a week after her death went viral and the decay made her unrecognizable, he knew no one else had pink hair.

"We welcome you all to Konoha," Tsunade said evenly, straightening herself and raising her chin high to demonstrate her authority. Kakashi couldn't say much of it was out of confidence because they all knew the sooner these two organizations were out of Konoha the better. A full fledged battle may ensue if they stayed for too long and with _two _of the deadliest organization, they had very little chance of winning. "And to some of you: welcome back."

Sasuke's eyes watched his brother intently, as though waiting for permission to react to a half-hearted welcome. But Itachi sat stoic in his chair, staring at everything anything with his eyes deactivated for the sake of this meeting. Arriving at the village, their weapons had been taken and locked away—not like they would require them to destroy the village if they wanted to. But still, it was comforting that the only thing that stood in their way were hand seals, that were much easier to stop than an abrupt toss of a kunai.

If Tsunade had her way, Sasuke and Itachi would both be looked up in the cells, right in front of each other just for the torture of it. How dare the young Uchiha leave while she was in power, especially after how hard and threateningly her argued for Sakura's innocence. It would take a miracle for anything he said to be valid.

"Hn. Let's discuss the terms of this alliance." The voice had came from no where and everywhere and it only being the fact that the bimbo in the corner couldn't have sophisticatedly and emotionlessly said those words that it had to be the blue haired woman who glanced over Tsunade once with nothing but coldness in her eyes. And with that, the little confidence she had in her was gone, then anger replaced it which just made a whole new batch of confidence for her to indulge in.

Tsunade returned the cold look and cleared her throat, covering the small yelp that Jiraiya earned from a hard enough stomp on the toes for staring too long at the "exotic" woman. The last thing Konoha needed was a war to begin before this meeting was over—all because some pervert's eyes lingered too long at the woman who was too powerful and easily offended. And don't even get her started on how one of these nine men could be a lover.

"Let's." Tsunade nodded, unravelling the scroll in front of her as every party proceeded to do the same. Her eyes read over the conditions, deciding on the most important and the ones she knew everyone was wary about. "With this alliance in play, the parties are prohibited from launching an attack on one another otherwise risk war."

There wasn't a reply. Not even an infamous Uchiha "hn" to notify her that they had heard. However, she wasn't going to wait. She wasn't gonna be left hanging like a fool in front of the strongest and most feared shinobis to ever exist. Orochimaru, nah, she'd pound him to the ground faster than he could say "Give me Sasuke's body", but Akatsuki on the other hand, in fact, all of Akatsuki was just something else.

Orochimaru was as bad as it was, but he was under the order of Akatsuki at one point and he left and went into a hiding because of Akatsuki at another point. Allowing Akatsuki to see a weakness in her, to see that it would be fucking easy to take over Konoha would be disastrous. Trust her, it wouldn't be easy, but she didn't need to give them a reason to try.

"All access to territory must be granted before entering."

"The location of the bases will not be granted."

"Yes. We know." She answered simply, not bothering to decipher whose voice that was and continued to read the conditions that were needed to be met. "The required use of members from a party must be granted through the appointed head of said party."

Surely they couldn't have Akatsuki demanding the use of Naruto any time they wanted. They'd send him on some suicide mission then steal his body and extract the demon inside him. Ah, thank the prince of Snow for injecting that into the contract. But Tsunade doubted something such as a signature written in blood would stop them. Next time they come to town, there better be two. No way in hell was she ever letting these many Akatsuki members into the village without a legitimate reason.

The goodness of knowing how many they were up against wasn't enough. In the beginning, it was exciting, however, being in their presence was rattling. The destruction 10 Akatsuki member could cause on an entire village was too horrifying for her to think through thoroughly without being brought to tears. She decided it was best to avoid thinking of something so horrid, and instead, ignorantly hope for the best while knowing the worst would arrive. Isn't that she shinobis do on a daily basis anyways?

"If ever at war, the five-way alliance will be non-existent."

No doubt existed when it came to the terms that Akatsuki and Orochimaru already had an alliance working for them. If a war ensued, all bonds would be broken and parties would ally with whom they chose. Only stupidity would continue to trust everyone except the one who turned their backs on you. If Akatsuki ever attacked, Orochimaru wouldn't be trusted, but something as that showed the doubt that existed in the pits of every Konoha Shinobi. No, the alliance would be eliminated altogether to cover that up and a new alliance will be made with familiar parties.

Akatsuki and Orochimaru were anything but familiar.

"The Organization of Akatsuki and the Organization of Orochimaru will not be pursued while the alliance is in play." A pregnant pause overtook the room and this time Tsunade looked up at the head of the two, threatening parties, allowing the fire and triumph she felt to shine through. "And neither will any of the demons belonging to any of the parties. Agreed?"

"Hn."

"Good." A smirk graced her lips although she knew well that something as little as words or blood could be trusted. But it was something alright, and they'll thrive on that something until it's all over. "Now we sign."

Blood smeared the bottom of the scroll and only then did they find out who the head of Akatsuki was. A orange hair man with numerous piercings on his face and hands—and god knows how many other piercings he had and _where _they were on his body. Looking at him once, she regarded him as a teenager. Now he stood as the strongest of all Akatsuki put together. No shit, that's why he was the head, he had the power to control all of them.

Lazy, coal eyes watched as all of them imitated the same motions. _Bite and sign_. It was hard to believe all of them were human, eating the same food, breathing the same air, and engineered to preform the same task. Where they differed was where their loyalties lie. What they stood for. What they wanted. How psychologically stable they all were. But hey, maybe Kakashi was insane and hadn't even realized it yet.

The only thing really stopping him from murdering everyone was his honour, his morals, his grief, and the fact that he wouldn't get the first hand seal done for his second killing. Ah, yes, maybe he was insane. That, or he was trying to figure out a way to survive if Akatsuki rose up and attacked them right now. He had the mentality of a solider. _And not a very noble one at that. _

He had the mentality of a coward, but that's what happened when you pull Hatake Kakashi _way_ out of his comfort zone with so much adrenaline pumping through his veins that it could kill him. Thank God Sakura wasn't around to see it.

"As part of the agreement, groups formed of members from the different parties will carry out missions together." Ah, so that's what Kakashi was there for. The words spilling out of the Hokage's mouth only a month ago, when she had informed him of his need to be present at the meeting, had turned into low groans and wails. A part of him had shut down to the fact that _all_ of Akatsuki would be present in Konoha, putting every single person at risk, that if the Hokage wasn't as brief as she was, he may have fainted right in her office. "At the moment, one of our member is missing. My apologies."

Kakashi's eyes trailed to the seat beside him, guessing that would be the one to accompany him on this lovely mission. Perfect, that was just perfect. If he had to go on a mission with Itachi and Sasuke alone, he would just end it there. He hadn't the time to complete the mission, keep himself from being assassinated, and keep the brothers from trying to kill each other at the same time. Kakashi was a powerful man indeed, a potential candidate for Hokage, but there was a reason why he turned the position down. Being responsible wasn't on his memo.

Loud banging and scratching seeped through the wooden door. With Kakashi's first instincts kicking in, his hands went to his kunai pouch only to relive the fact that he entered a room full of S-Class criminals without it.

The door nearly flew off the hinges with an large, white animal bursting through. It's owner rode it's back confidently, clad in ANBU uniform. He hadn't paused like Kakashi had, only hurting the pride of the once great man. Kiba climbed off his canine and stepped aside, allowing a very frightened and confuse secretary to come flying in face first.

"H-Hey!" Shizune stuttered, quickly composing herself in front of the room full of men who could kill her before she blinked. Her hands fisted in front of her chest as she looked around, attempting to flash a smile which only came out lopsided. Unthinkably, her body slowly leaned back, only for her pathway out of the room to be blocked by white armour, shielding a fairly toned chest. She would've shrieked had Akatsuki and Orochimaru not been present, bit jumping and turning around quickly was a better option for her appearance.

Jiraiya looked to Tsunade and the ANBU that were never to be present around Akatsuki. It represented distrust and control, something that didn't sit very well with men who thought too highly of himself. He knew Tsunade knew that. Before the alliance, she had been briefed on the mentality of tyrant leaders. But her eyes only narrowed at the three that stood before her, excluding the secrtary that sweated fear.

"Is there a reason why all of you are in my office at this time?" Her body rose with her voice and quickly, nearly smacking Jiraiya off his chair, she gestured to Akatsuki. If that had hit him, he would've had a free, one way ticket to Suna and trust him—it wasn't as great as it sounded. "With these people present?"

The air filled with silence and smoke, and only after Shikamaru took a long drag out of his cigarette and tossed it in the planted pot did he acknowledge the question.

"Stone ninjas are attacking the village in attempt to assassinate the said people." He muttered, keeping his voice even and doing his best to keep his eyes off a particular said person, one who had killed his sensei. "We were given direct orders to keep them indoors and defend them from Stone."

Another body stumbled in and shut the door quickly. Her chest heaved behind the amour as she looked around at the people who they were to protect, who were the last people she ever wanted to associate herself with—except one. Red eyes met coal and her heart had skipped a couple of beats, tightening her chest.

"Sasu—"

Her body lunged forward, only to be stopped by the arm of a man who lost too much to these people to allow any sunshine into this situation. He was an emotionless robot, carrying out the mission which was given to him some time ago, which was utmost frightening for someone who complained about everything being so troublesome. The only thing keeping him from lunging at Hidan himself were the words scolded at him weeks before; something along the lines of _"You are one of smartest shinobi of this generation. Don't go doing something stupid." _and a promise that one day he would get his fill.

"Karin!" Shikamaru barked, reeling her back against the wall with his extending arm as his glare filled her with shame. "Know your place on this mission."

Eyebrows knitted in apology, understanding his content state wasn't as so content, yet he could maintain self-control while she put herself first. She nodded and twisted herself to meet an end, and with quick hand seals formed, she slammed it against the wooden door.

The idea was questionable, and with the Hokage knowing nothing of this plan, it didn't sit well at all. His stomach churned with anticipation of the rising of Akatsuki, accusing them betrayal, or realizing how easy it was to overthrow Konoha by the looks of the apparent mutiny.

"As we speak, civilians are being put into jail cells for protection and shinobis are sent to the border to prevent any invasion." Shikamaru continued, itching to pull another cigarette out of his pocket. But no one knew how long they would be stuck in this room, with these people. No doubt the smell of cigarettes would be irritating to all of them and the last thing anyone needed was a battle in the Hokage office—although he would kindly accept one from a white haired sadist. "There's also some outside the window and behind the door as we speak, ensuring that Stone doesn't get through."

This was way too organized to be a last minute thing. The planning must have taken a least an hour of explaining and at least another four to convince countless numbers of shinobis to agree to doing this. It was very unlikely that the first thing that came to mind when anyone realized Stone was coming for an attack was _we must protect that Akatsuki and Orochimaru._

"How long have we've known of this?"

"Months."

No, that didn't sit well with anyone at all. Anyone would think there was mutiny happening inside of the Village Hidden in the Leaves—it wasn't exactly the first impression anyone wanted to make on anyone already eyeing them as a prey—yet suppressing the urges.

"Months? And has it ever crossed your mind to inform the Hokage of this?" She roared, demonstrating her true power and authority. Mind you, Tsunade was a powerful woman, but it was impossible to take down the organization of Akatsuki—nearly impossible, actually. However, the demonstration of weakness and behind the scenes work in front of their newly formed allied wasn't tasteful. If anything, she puked on the whole idea.

"It has, many times, but it was decided that it was better than we didn't." He retorted, strolling behind Sasuke with a single glance of his once before "friend" if that's what people wanted to call it. Sure, he had gone on the retrieval mission with everyone to get him back and failed equally, but that was a lifetime ago and so much more mattered than the return of a boy who didn't even want to be here.

His eyes scanned Konoha dully, knowing that no one would be able to penetrate the ANBUs and Jounins that were sent to the borders. There were simply too many and it had worked in their favour that it was decided they would be kept every single shinobi back during the meeting. "Hokage-sama, I'm not the one in charge of this mission. If you have any concerns or complaints, please direct them towards the one that is _after _we defeat Stone."

"Very well."

An eerie silence filled the room. Shikamaru didn't dare turn around to face any of them, knowing well that if he saw that smirking face of the Jasinist, he wouldn't be able to stop himself. He didn't need that. He didn't need to die just yet. Everyone knew the alliance wouldn't hold for very long and when the bond shatters and war is declared, everyone knew who he would go after.

He observed the Chuunins who stood ready on the rooftops, prepared for the penetration of the border and the destruction that is to follow it. _All of this for a group of criminals who in the end will just kill us all. How troublesome. _

The only real benefit from this alliance were false promises, and the only reason why it was made was out of fear. Anyone would common sense would see that fear being behind the reasoning of the creation of the alliance was enough to not form one at all. Apparently common sense wasn't so common.

"It shouldn't take long for it to be over. We've got the whole village fighting and from what we know, Stone only sent a couple hundreds." Kiba said offhandedly, relieving the room of the suffocating silence. Stealing a quick glance at Akatsuki, he wasn't sure how any of them could look so comfortable in this environment. Well, they had nothing to fear but fear itself since they were the source of everyone else's fear, but being targeted by so many at once _must _ be somewhat frightening no matter how strong they believed they were.

His eyes wondered back to boy who ran away four years ago, sitting in his glory as he continued to glare at the Akatsuki. _Just fuck me running. Things are gonna get heated and I have to be in the crossfire._

"Just a couple." Kakashi muse, his attempt to help with the dog owner's failing attempt. You could cut the tension in the room with a butter knife, smear it on bread by it would be just a thick.

_Clip, clip, clip..._

Death apparently had nothing on the purple haired girl as she sat, visibly irritated, smacking the ends of her sharpened nails on the wooden table. She smirked as she stared at her opposing side before tilting her head towards the door.

"I wondered where you've been, Karin." She laughed, continuing her rather annoying act. Her brown eyes practically glowed with mischief and it was only a matter of time before anyone snapped. A sudden smack of the hand from her leader was enough to stop, and instead of acknowledging the anger, her hand remained still as she continued to drink in the image of her former acquaintance. "It's been awfully lonely without you."

"Even with all the men you busy yourself with?" Karin sneered, snorting in the end as she crossed her arms over her chest. Red eyes locked with brown as they narrowed in warning. Tsunade continued to glare the young girl down, until a sigh noted that she would give. "Sorry."

_That would only be the start of it_. Shikamaru inwardly sigh as his thigh began to itch—notably where his cigarettes were. He could name you off, in chronological order, who was to snap. Karin was the beginning. Next would be the girl. Then it would Hidan. And Sasuke would start a battle. Kakashi would try to intervene. Then Jiraiya and Tsunade would get involve, getting the leaders involve and causing a battle to happen inside of Konoha while one was happening on the outside.

They needed to get away from each other or Konoha was doomed.

The only sound, after a while, was the canine's panting. It was odd how they hadn't heard it earlier, but after being stuck in this place for so long, everything was heard. In the distance cries and explosions were heard, and through the glass Shikamaru could've sworn he heard the breathing of the Chuunin who waited in place.

But maybe a justsu went off. One that made him insane. Maybe Orochimaru had bitten him without anyone knowing. Or maybe he was just paranoid. _I really need a smoke._

"They're retreating."

Was the best thing anyone has heard all day and an overwhelming urge to hug Karin serge through the Konoha shinobis' body. Bless her ability to sense chakra—it was so much better than her ability to heal.

A sudden hard jerk from a rejecting door threw Kiba on his feet. Instantly, his body separated Karin and the door, as he stood with a kunai ready in hand. It didn't look good, not at all. The announcement of retreat made it all look twenty times worse. Had she lied to them, that would be the end of the alliance and the existence of Konoha. A large shove proved that theory wrong.

"Wait! It's just Naruto."

A small groan came from Kiba as he made no attempt to lift his body off the potted plant. One shove was enough to move him aside, but Karin had deciding to fuse in a bit of her chakra to send him flying into the corner. _Women... _He inwardly groan, thinking of the many few who liked to shove him around and infuse their fists with chakra. He just thanked the heavens it wasn't the Hokage or he was sure the plant he so elegantly landed on would've went straight through him instead of falling down with him.

Quick hand seals undid the sealing of the room and quick flash of yellow landed in the centre of the room. Kakashi noticed that only then did he see some movement from the every stoic Akatsuki and Sasuke, he finally stirred from the intense glare he had on all meeting. He was ready to defend the only thing he may have left.

His shoulders rose and lowered and his managed to push himself into a sitting position. Scratches and bruises displayed the intense battle outside the gates was supposedly over and the shallow breath Naruto allowed himself to take only showed the urgency that no one favoured.

Karin was beside him in a second, offering her wrist which was offhandedly rejected as he lifted his head to the Hokage. "Naruto, what are you—what's wrong?"

His lack of acknowledgement for a person he spent years training for only gave worry to everyone's hearts. He hadn't even looked at Sasuke or said anything of greeting to the man who was his best friend. There was no threat to kick his ass or any gloating that he was nwt stronger. No, he stared the Hokage dead in the eye.

Sasuke, he could wait. He would still be there when everything settled—he wasn't that important anymore. However...

"The council are planning an execution. We have to stop them."

"Shit."

But she hadn't stayed to hear more. With that it was obvious that Akatsuki and Orochimaru were the least of their worries.

* * *

The civilians emptied the cells to return to their rightful homes not so long ago. The desertion gave anyone the privacy to do whatever they were pleased to do inside—like murder. The execution was hoped for and long overdue. The last thing anyone needed was a criminal running loose and being trusted in a village that was too proud and vulnerable. Still rebuilding from the sound invasion four years ago, they didn't need to fall again.

Only idiots couldn't see that.

Tied wrists and ankles gave no form of resistance as its owner slumped in the chair, ignoring their interrogator. Ah, they always thought they had the ability to stir fear and pull off a successful interrogation—it was as amusing as it was four years ago when they had last been there. The village obviously hadn't learned over the years and it was a simple waste of time an energy. Well, maybe this time they inserted the element of physical torture, much different than what it had been a while ago.

But then again, Ibiki wasn't the one who was preforming the integration. He could mentally torture anyone into submitting, but he couldn't do so with his own mini-me. His refusal was personal and at the same time, learning from past experiences and from intelligence, he knew it would do no good. Poor elderly elder, he was now left to do his own bidding which, by the way, was more useless that Ibiki.

"What are you planning?"

The perspiration that layered his nose slipped down his glasses as he stared down at his subject. Killing them would be too sweet, but unjustified killing would cut down the sweetness of it. He needed a reason to kill them and hating them just wasn't good enough of a reason. Them being a missing-nin wasn't a good enough reason since they could simply be locked away to rot for years to come, but being the age he was, he wouldn't have the pleasure of watching them rot. No, he needed to see them die now so he can pass on peacefully.

He needed justice.

The subject simply turned their head from staring blankly at the metal bars and oh, did their emotionless face irk him. They had been looking everywhere with the same Goddamn emotion, making him feel powerless and worthless under the gaze. The dark room with stone walls and metal bars didn't faze them. The fact that they were tied to a chair didn't faze them. _Or_ the fact that would a flick of his sword he could cut off their neck and they would no longer exist didn't faze them. Nothing made them flinch and it only made him want to strangle them.

But that would be seen as a weakness in front of them—his lack of control. The last thing anyone needed was to be seen as weak in front of their captive and the only thing worse than a stoic face was a mocking smirk.

"Tied to the chair at the moment." They answered, turning their head away from him once again to stare at the metal bars with disinterest.

A sudden bang and ray of light shown from the other side and a part of him wanted to raise his sword and kill them before their escape plan came to play—if that's what it was to begin with. What else would explain the distant stare and the sudden break in of the building? The captive must be behind it. They were trying to escape!

"Stop!" That was enough to get a reaction when death threats couldn't. Ocean blue eyes stared into cell determinedly, and confident hands rose to tear down the metal door. If his fingers had touched the bar, they would've sent him flying back—he wouldn't get very close. The old man knew others would come to rescue the one who shouldn't be rescued, he had it all figured out.

"Stay where you are or risk being convicted for treason!" He exclaimed, stopping the rescuer for a mere second. Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage, scared of conviction because of his attempt to save a friend? What was new in Konoha? A sudden hand over his prevented the electrocution and Jiraiya was at his side instantly, staring at the old man angrily.

A soft snort came from his captive and he had nearly jumped at the sight of intense, green eyes staring up at him with disgust. His anger boiled at his demonstration of fear and weakness.

"You're a little delusional." The captive sneered, tilting their head to the side before straightening their body to lean upwards. "Ever heard of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?"

A small snicker echoed through the building on behalf of an easily amused blond before numerous footsteps came running down the stone hall. Fear bloomed within the pits of his stomach at the number of people who had come to the rescue. He hadn't anticipated it being this much. _Dammit all!_

"Be quiet you incompetent little shit!"

The appearance of the Hokage and the whole organization of Akatsuki and Orochimaru poured regret into him instantly. What if they thought it was directed towards them? He wouldn't survive if they attacked him.

Leaving them alone at the office wasn't even an option. And although Tsunade didn't take a second to tell them to come along with her, Jiraiya knew she wanted them where they could be watched or somewhat controlled. With a newly formed alliance, it only felt right that whatever they were present to hear would involve them, right? Or maybe only Jiraiya felt that way—but he didn't hear anyone protesting.

Eyes widen at the captive who stared at them with no emotion behind her eyes. It wasn't fear. It wasn't anger. It wasn't even joy that they had come to rescue her. Staring at them, she only appeared to be studying them like they were inanimate objects. Like they were the most uninteresting things in the world. Hell, they were standing with the deadliest organization and all she could do was sigh and turn back to her interrogator/capture, studying him as he shook with anger and fear.

"Explain to me why it is that my apprentice—whose responsibility was to be present at the meeting—" Brown eyes flickered from the elder to the said apprentice who hadn't even looked her way "—is tied up in a chair and interrogated by you!"

Ah, so that's who was suppose to fill the empty chair. Damn, Kakashi called her an asshole.

"Treason!" He howled, waving his sword in the air before its tip met the delicate flesh that covered her neck. Naruto's and Sasuke's body launched forward instantly, only to be held back by the strong arms of their former sensei—again.

This time, Kakashi was going to make things right. Naruto and Sasuke weren't going to be convicted for treason for attempting to rescue their friend, he was. All he needed was a plan to get past the bars and he would be good to go. Every chance he got, he stood on the sidelines and watched as the turn of events left team seven broken—not this time.

"He's not going to kill her, don't worry." He hummed anyways, lowering his arms to let the boys watch. The confidence in his voice soothed many while irritated one, and the old man snorted, turning to her again and growled.

"Now, I'll ask you again: what were you up to?"

Green eyes flickered from him and sword. She hadn't bothered to lift her head up in attempt to move herself from tip. Instead, she allowed it to shallowly piece her neck and for her blood to drip uncomfortably into her canal between her breasts. Her eyes lowered to where the blood disappeared and up at him, tauntingly. He pushed the sword in deeper, and this time, her head rose.

"Protecting the village from Stone invasion." She sighed and tilting her body forward when the tip vanished from the wound on her neck.

"Lies!" A quick swinging of his sword was enough to tear the skin on her elbow, but she hadn't flinched; made not action to acknowledge it was there—like she had with every other cut and slash he made on her body. She never reacted to anything and that just made everything so much more annoying. A small rustle came from outside the metal bars, one that attracted her attention immediately. He hated begin ignored. Hated it when _she _had the audacity to ignore _him. _He was a village elder and what was she? A former missing-nin who was allowed back because of the constant pestering of her blonde teammate. His hand went to her face instantly and turned it towards him—with much struggle. He glared deep into her eyes while she still remained unfazed by the circumstances she got herself in. "You were building an army from the inside out! To overthrow the system and destroy the village."

"I believe I said it was to protect the village, not destroy it." She stated and her eyes drunk his. A wave of discomfort washed through his system and he stood back, pushing her face in some random direction. That earned him a glare, much to his enjoyment.

"Then explain the secrecy."

"For the alliance to be finalize." She said, although it was so obvious. "Notifying the Hokage about the invasion would only post-pone the finalization and Stone would attack for no reason. This alliance has been withheld long enough."

Killing her out of anger would let her die satisfied with his reaction, and no way would the many people outside let him get away with in. He couldn't stay locked in the cell forever and with the new alliance with Akatsuki, they could easily break down the barrier for them to kill him. He was sure Akatsuki wouldn't be happy with him killing a demon container and a former member of their deadly organization.

"Doing that could have ruined the chances of it ever being finalized!" He spat, knowing well his saliva ended up on her face. But she did nothing to tell him that he did—not even blink. Kakashi was right when he said Sakura had the ability to make others feel intimidated and uncomfortable without even trying. The man was practically fearing her while he was interrogating her. That was no way to interrogate one of the strongest female shinobi. "They may have believed we planned this."

She only nodded. "But it didn't and they don't."

Her eyes wandered back to the people who stood outside the cell; watching her as she took in every blow unaffected, and watching her as she existed.

"You know what I think?" Her face slowly turned back to watch him, cocking an eyebrow as she patiently waited for his reply. "You've been brewing this since the beginning! You wanted them to believe we were trying to lead them into a trap so they could destroy the village!"

A long sigh fell from her lips and she cocked her head towards _them_. "I don't think it's wise to speak of the party, whom we newly formed an alliance with, in that manner."

He swore he could hear the mockery in her voice as she spoke. Taunting him, laughing at him, and calling him a big ass idiot for saying what he just said. She ultimately made him feel uneasy without trying, but that's what Akatsuki members did to people. And she was one, but who was to say she still wasn't one.

"Ex-Akatsuki member and former student of Uchiha Itachi—" He began, encircling her as he spoke.

Ignorant eyes flickered from the said Uchiha and back to Sakura, watching her face as she remained unmoved.

"Irrelevant points." She said evenly, not bothering to follow his body as it moved around her.

He could've raised his sword from behind and sliced her and she wouldn't have known it. Sometimes, how calm Sakura was frightened Naruto. That's all she's ever been since she popped up out of no where. She wasn't happy. She wasn't sad. She wasn't angry. All she ever had on was that emotionless face that sometimes, if they were lucky, showed some surprise or thoughtfulness. Other times, she was stoic and her face was hard. _Damn Akatsukis!_

All he really wanted to do right then, besides breaking Sakura out, was to turn his body around and throw punches at the men who made Sakura the way she was. Hell, that could be Team's Seven reunited mission. She didn't smile at anyone at all. She didn't talk very much. She didn't do anything but carry out missions and allow herself to be dragged along to social gatherings—the only way to get her to social gatherings. She mostly isolated herself to Ryuu and Karin—but Karin did do a good job of getting her out when she could. But sometimes, Sakura's presence wouldn't even be noticed. No, she would just sit there and listen to everyone talk and said nothing herself.

According to Kiba, the only time she spoke on missions—from days to weeks long—was when she was asking if anyone was hungry, giving demands, or contradicting Neji. Her main focus would be solely on the mission and she would sit by and listen as the three men on her squad, Kiba, Shikamaru, and Neji, gossiped. Yes, they gossiped, and Sakura did nothing to join.

"Not to mention the murder of your own clan plus the Uchiha's." Something wicked flickered behind her frozen eyes and she was only grateful that the fucking idiot that was interrogating her was to her side that he couldn't see it. It would satisfy the man too much for her liking. His body shot in front of her suddenly, gripping onto her thighs as he leaned in and whispered. "We'll have your head this time."

His hands released her wound-covered legs as he stood up, satisfied with his statement.

"It seems to me, elderly, that you're allowing your fear to get in the way of professional matters." Sakura sneered, tilting her head to glower up at him.

"Why you—"

"You were chosen to be a part of the council because you survived years of being a Shinobi—assuming you would make wise decisions when it comes to matters concerning the village, not yourself." She stated, smirking as pink painted his face and his fist clenched with the rise of his body temperature. "But it appears to me that you're letting your fear of what and who I am get in the way of those wise decisions."

Her chair lost its balance from the sudden force to her face and it almost appeared as though she would tip over—almost. The party outside held their breath as her face came nearer and nearer to the ground before her blue eyes open and a sudden breath of air shot her straight upwards.

"I will not be told how to do my job by a child such as yourself!"

Red glowed from the ends of the ropes and her hands went forward to snap off the restraints at her ankle. The body of the old man had flown backwards because of the vines that shot through the concrete and smacked him in her defence while an unfathomable gust of wind surrounded her body—as it had the day Pein had punched her. Leather covered palms lifted the wooden chair and hauled it at the bars quickly, and although it shattered on impact, the only thing that made it through to the other side were ashes. Flames filled the entrance and engulfed her body entirely before dancing around her in quick flicks and strings. White ears rested on her head as a white tail swung back and forth with the twirl of the flames.

Teasingly, she slowly approached the body of the old man who had froze the moment he saw the flames and the menacing looking in her eyes, telling him that he was going end here. A taunting chuckle dripped from her lips as she stared at the man with disgust. Oh, the irony of this whole situation was far too good to pass up a good laugh on. It was so pathetic.

"This is what you want isn't it? For me to rise like this so you'll have a reason to lock me up?" Something piercing and hot touched his Adam's apple threateningly, and his head lifted in its attempt of removal. The fire that had surrounded her earlier had shot towards him and took the form of a sword, threatening him in the same manners as he had threatened her. Well, a punch would've satisfied her, but his face as of now was so much more delicious.

"Sak—stop!" Naruto shouted, fearing dressing his face. If she did kill an village elder, there would be nothing they could do for her. The slaying of an official would never be looked at leniently, even at the circumstances that were held before.

Right now it was out of anger from an unfair conviction—out of a simple punch in the face which no one usually lived to tell the tale about.

"Hm? Why are you so scared? It's what you wanted, ne?" The makeshift sword doubled in size and all they could hear were the untamed flames and the clacking of her heels.

All the elders ever wanted was a reason to throw her behind bars. Constantly they provoked her and every time she kept herself relaxed. But right now, she gave them every reason to, but look at them; they were cowering before her. All talk and no play. When it came down to it—when it came down to her—they wouldn't be able to do it. Like Gaara four years ago, they weren't able to tame her. It was all talk about how they would control him, about how they would kill him, but when he rose up against them, they bowed down to him willingly. But it was different now, he was the Kazekage.

But she knew fully well that that wouldn't be her destiny. She had rejected the ruling of Snow and the position of Hokage countless time. Ren took over and Naruto was to be seated at the head, she made sure of it. Moreover, Gaara wasn't an Akatsuki member a lifetime ago—it was easier to trust him, despite all the killings he did. But hey, they believed she helped with the murder of the Uchiha clan and her own so she figured she was worse than him.

The closing of distance made everyone's heart beat a slight bit faster, not in fear of the man's life, but in fear of the trouble she would get herself into again. Her eyes held the very same dazed expression it had all those years, one where it was almost impossible to bring her back from, and one where Sasuke could always bring her back from.

"Sakura!"

The shout of her name really was all it took. Her body stopped its pursuit forward and her head tilted towards Sasuke. She could tell it in his eyes that he demanded her to stop, to calm down, and to welcome him back. But from him she looked to his brother and all of his little friends, and then she just chuckled before the flames became nothing more but hot air.

"I've never had the reason to turn my back on this village." She muttered, twisting her body to the metal bars that separated her from a doom she knew would greet her soon enough. "Don't give me one."

When she stopped, they figured she didn't want to come through because of the people who stood to greet her. Only one really interested her, while the rest were so unwelcoming in any situation. Staying behind the safety of an electrocuted prison cell was anyone's cup of tea if Akatsuki stood on their line of freedom. Watching her, they wanted to protest against it, but confident hands gripped the locked door and blue waves of light smacked against anything it could. With a effortless thrust, the hinges gave and the door landed snugly _in_ the wall. Her eyes didn't flicker to survey the damage she caused within a matter of two minutes, instead she turned to walk past the parted bodies towards the exit. She made no attempt to welcome Sasuke or make nice with the organization she fled from four years ago.

She didn't care for it.

"I think it's time for that one to retire." She finally said, squinting at the setting sun. It couldn't have been that long since she was demanded for and put to sit in the cell, but apparently it had, so whatever. Karin's wrist flashed before her face and offhandedly she rejected it, turning to survey the damage that may have occur during her absence. She may have made it to the meeting if he hadn't founded her and put her under arrest—even she wasn't dumb enough to resist at the hand of an elder. "This is the second time he's tried to cut off my head because I was merely existent."

But he had punched her and that was the last of her tolerance.

"He has a point."

Her fingers cease it rummaging through her tangled pink and black locks and green eyes met brown. It was asking for an elaboration, although it already knew the detailed answered. Many weren't sure with what Sakura wanted nowadays, she was always too damn quiet.

"Wha—To execute Sakura-chan? How could you say that?" Bare arms shot around her neck and pulled her against the chest of an exasperated blond. She did nothing to stop him—and everyone knew she could—but she visibly flinched at the pressure that was added to her cheek. Naruto held her protectively from the Hokage and Akatsuki, looking at them both angrily as Sasuke did nothing but roll his eyes. _Some idiots never change. _

"Naruto, stop." She whispered, tearing herself away from his arms gingerly. Instantly, Karin's hand was to Sakura's face, inspecting the bruised flesh and tenderly poking at the skin. Her head twirled around so quickly Naruto sworn it could've snapped off, and he flinched as she proceeded to lecture him on the delicacy of Sakura's face, especially since that punch had broken her bone again since it had been broken before.

In that moment, dull green eyes flashed towards the leader of the Akatsuki and the elder Uchiha. That sudden glance escaped everyone but one pair of empty, black eyes. Sasuke twisted himself inconspicuously to view his brother, one who he had deemed responsible for Sakura's death. Now, instead of that, he would be held responsible for the vulnerability of her delicate face. Their eyes met for a brief second and he turned himself right back and did something he knew his brother couldn't do so carelessly.

"No, I meant about defending Konoha against Stone in secre...cy"

The sudden pass-by of Sasuke had nearly taken her off guard and he approached her, in front of his leader and all of Akatsuki as though it was of nothing at all. Yearningly, he took hold her face gently and tilted it downwards, placing a small kiss in her hair. Everyone, but her, reacted somehow and Naruto had taken the liberty of wanting to tackle the boy down. A quick pound on the head by Karin was enough to slow down his action and he had groan quite loudly as to how Sasuke had just violated Sakura.

Kakashi chuckled at the tender relationship that seem to withheld years of betrayal and death and really, only he and the Hokage and her _partner_ seemed to appreciate the long lasting friendship. The rest of them stared in disgust or anger, particularly a asymmetrical, purple haired girl and her one time lover, Uchiha Itachi. Only Akatsuki would know that their Leader didn't like it either, but he did nothing to show it.

"You heard what I said in there." Sakura said evenly, only looking up at her old friend once he allowed her too. Something thoughtful flashed behind her eyes and the corners of her mouth only ascended by a millimetre. Her arms slowly went around his waist and she leaned her chin on his chest, staring up at his mature face carefully. "I missed you too. Welcome back."

Still, her voice held no emotion and a part of him wanted to throw everything away to squeeze every drop of life of his brother out, right there, right then. But it was made clear, very clear, that he will have his chance soon, once the alliance was over. Pieces of him crumbled at the thought of betrayal, especially now that Sakura was alive. He had halfheartedly agreed to terms with the acceptance that it would only really hurt Naruto, but now it was different. Now, Sakura was involved.

"See you still have your head on, Haruno-san." Releasing one hold on Sasuke's unfamiliar body, she stood at his side. One hand still gripped the back of his shirt firmly, as though he would disappear any second. Neji Hyuga stood parallel to the pair and Naruto, taking the heat of the moment as his cover-up, took hold of the Uchiha's neck and pulled him into a headlock. "Ah, and welcome back Uchiha."

That earned him a simply grunt over the shouting of Naruto as he ruffled his already untamed hair and question what grounds he had for kissing Sakura's head so suddenly. He had to wait weeks before even touching her after she stumbled through the gates. He was to stay away because she dangerous, they said. She wasn't safe, they said. But teme got to do whatever he wanted; it just wasn't fair.

"Haven't given them a good enough reason to cut it off...yet." There was a hint of amusement in her voice as she retrieved the weapons Neji took hold of moments before she was forced into the cell. Carelessly she strapped it around herself and pulled out a kunai. "Do we have any casualties?"

The weapon dangled between her fingers before her free hand took hold of her long, pink hair. In one foul swoop, two inches came off the ends, littering the grounds with black ends with hits of pink. She went around looking like a Uchiha for a couple of months, she swore. With her hair dyed black and her Sharigan activated, so many people mistook her for a secret survivor of the Uchiha masscre, but those who had the honour of witnessing her eyes never lived to tell the tale.

Tales of such would draw too much attention, and only living in such secrecy did she manage to escape Akatsuki long enough to ensure they wouldn't come onto her the moment they spotted her.

"A few, but we have more injured than dead." Neji shrugged, giving Akatsuki a one over before turning back to his teammate. Kiba and Shikamaru stood behind him lazily, only after they had informed him of their success of guarding Akatsuki and Orochimaru and Naruto's success in getting the Hokage to bail Sakura out—well, more like she bailed herself out.

He snorted at the idea that they believed ropes could hold back a demon container/Sharingan wielder/ANBU/ ex-Akatsuki. They were getting too old and a new council needed to be called upon. Sakura could've broken out anytime she wanted to, but sat to do herself a favour.

"Alright, I'll take the west gate and Karin will take the east. Send a medics to the south gate." She stated, silencing the rowdy boys. Her fingers travelled through the ends of her freshly cut hair and pulled out any other black leftovers that remained.

"And the north?"

"That was my gate."

Her body turned to the men who finally stilled behind her and she glanced over her shoulder at her captain. He wasn't in this case since she made it her responsibility to organize the whole ordeal, but once it was over, she would be under his command again.

They had known she had been the one in charge of protecting Akatsuki before they came through the gates—the big bad leader that defied the rules and when given shit for it didn't react. Though that fact wasn't surprising, watching her act with so much power was. Four years ago, she was crying over killing her uncle and stomped her foot when arguing with the leader of Akatsuki. But here stood a young woman bare of emotion who controlled all of the Konoha shinobi at this moment—who got them to obey although she held no higher power than many of them.

"What about you?"

She had taken in the image of her body for what seemed like the first time that day. Cuts laid on her once flawless skin and gashes peaked through the material of her black pants. Her gloved hands ran over her skin slowly, but she made no attempt to heal the wounds.

"These aren't from the battle." She whispered, twisted her arm back and forth. "They're not life threatening."

No one could tell if she even cared that her village inflicted more pain onto her than the opposing enemy, but the way she said it, even with the toneless tone of voice, it almost sounded like she accepted it. She was always sided with people who wanted to hurt her. It was true to begin with anyways; with Akatsuki, with Konoha, and even with Snow. Not many had forgiven her for the attack 16 years ago and so many wanted to kill her just as bad.

"Hold it, Haruno." She took in literally. Her foot stopped its movements and she waited, anticipating what could come next. "Do you remember what your duty is?"

Her brows knitted in concentration before her eyes closed and her face softened. She turned to face the Hokage defeated, unconscious to the setting sun behind her and how it made every part of her glowed. Externally she glowed, but internally she dimmed. The zest for life Kakashi had seen in her years ago was put out before it ever actually shown and now she was almost like an Akatsuki; an emotionless killing machine.

The day he visited her at the hospital, he found her staring blankly at the ceiling. Her lids were heavy, but he only thought she was tired from her drainage of chakra and healing from her injuries. In the end, they had to release the hold and allow her to heal herself since her body had been so damaged it didn't heal itself. It wasn't Akatsuki, she told him, she left them a year ago. She was attacked on her way here from Snow, they needn't worry since Akatsuki thought she was dead.

She spent weeks in the cell she had been held in earlier, kept away from Naruto or anyone that was of importance in her life. When released home to Ryuu, he did his best to restore her life, to restore whatever spark that may be hidden. But it was still nothing. She was the same girl Kakashi saw at the hospital. Barely alive and tired. They all played it off like it was nothing, and after one year, it probably wasn't anything out of the ordinary—though they all wished it were different.

"Right." She inwardly groaned, turning her face towards the sky. "Shizune-san, send medics to fill in my stop of the west gate then."

The said woman nodded and headed her separate ways, dragging a protesting Karin along who kicked and screamed that Sakura needed medical attention. Sakura glanced after-them, an undertone of longing blurring behind her eyes. "Come, we need to discuss the mission."

"Wait a minute! Wait a minute!" A sudden tug on the arms and Sakura stumbled behind Naruto. Who said Naruto didn't get _a bit_ brighter over the years? "Sakura-chan is going on a mission with them? You can't do that! They'll eat her! And she just got out of the hospital two days ago!"

"Shut up, you idiot." Kiba barked, fisting his hands as her glared at the back of the blondes head.

How was he the idiot if he was only trying to protect her from the same fate she suffered four years ago because he was too weak to protect her? He was ANBU now, he trained hard enough that he was somewhere near the levels of the Akatsuki assholes. Blue eyes returned the glare before the owner extended his arm to grab hold of the girls wrist. She did nothing but watch the two tiredly, then turned her head to stare again at her departing best friend.

Ah, Karin may be loud and annoying, but she was the only thing that held Sakura's sanity together. They were like Naruto and Sasuke, which was coincidental since Karin was also an Uzumaki and Sakura had Uchiha blood pumping through her veins.

"Don't tell me to shut up!" He barked just as loudly, tugging at her arms with the emphasis of his body. "You know it's true!"

"Yeah?" Mr. Lazy sneered, his hands in his pocket with a cigarette he well deserved. "I don't like it either, but would rather go on the mission instead of her?"

"Yeah! I would." And Naruto looked to Sakura for protest, but realize she wasn't even paying attention. Her eyes narrowed at Shikamaru painfully, and she took shallow breaths. But good, the more she focused on the cigarette, the better. He could convince the Hokage without Sakura butting in to stop him. "Send me on the mission instead of her!"

"Naruto." The calmness of her voice made him flinch two miles away and turning to look at her, she still wasn't facing him. Slowly her eyes focused on his and her eyebrows arched, making her look as calm as she sounded. "Calm down, I'll be fine."

"How could you—"

"Let's go out for supper after this." Her finger rested on his lips, silencing him without much pressure. He blinked at the supposed date, but what she had in mind was so much better. "You, me, Kakashi...and Sasuke."

"But..."

Dinner wasn't going to make up for a lose he knew was coming. One meal compared to a life. Be it ramen or a five star restaurant, it couldn't make up for the fact that she may never return from this mission. Well, there was a chance that she may never return from any other mission, but it was more likely that she wouldn't return from this one. Usually, he feared the attack of her opposition, but this time he was sure friendly fire was going to be held responsible.

"Okay? Trust me." His heart sunk with those words and he nodded hesitantly. Her fingers released his and she turned from him without a second look. "Let's go."

* * *

**I have a basic idea of where this story is headed, but just a heads up for not holding your breath that I will update anytimes soon (maybe in a week). I'm starting school again tomorrow, yes, on a friggin Friday and I need more planning. I was going to leave Sakura dead for a little bit longer, but I just couldn't dude. Hoped it scared you all just a bit. **

**Oh, I would _love_ reviews as to what you think of it so far and what you kinda want to happen. It would give me ideas to read some of your feedbacks (:**

**I don't own Naruto or any of its original characters.**

**xoxo**


	9. Confessions Under the Moon

**Chapter Ten: Confessions Under the Moon**

* * *

The dawning of the day came with warm golden rays that swallowed up any traces of the night. Its orange light gave warmth to the coldness that had engulfed the air, sending slight tingles down Kakashi's spine as he stood against the walls of the gatekeeper station. His skilled eye watched over the remaining members of the once great Uchiha clan; its downfall and possible resurrection stood too close a distance for anyone's comfort.

It only reminded him that the tension still lingered in the air, even after surviving their first day as allies with the Akatsuki and Orochimaru. Even as "allies" they stood no less a threat to Konoha as they had two years ago. Chronologically, everyone in Konoha could name off the destruction both party has caused over the last half a decade—marking Sasuke, kidnapping Sakura, nearly destroying Konoha, almost kidnapping Naruto, placing both Sasuke and Kakashi in intensive care, placing Naruto and Tsunade in the hospital, stealing Sasuke, killing Asuma—while the only thing they had to retort with was Sakura kicked Kisame's ass and managed to escape.

Akatsuki and Orochimaru: 7, Konoha: .5.

With Sakura's life no longer hidden within the shadows of the village walls or blizzards in Snow, Akatsuki felt more of a threat than ever before. There wasn't a doubt in anyone's mind that this alliance was to allow them close range access to Naruto and the obliteration of their precious village, but it was either war now or later, and given more time to prepare themselves gave Tsunade the only option of war later. However, with the Sharigan wielding, demon containing girl placed in the open, there was more to lose.

The eyes of the Akatsuki members—although never looked up at Tsunade once during their meeting—did not leave Sakura once during her presentation of worth. But she did an excellent job of returning the looks that would send many fleeing for their lives with a glare, it was only to be expected since she did live with these people for a couple a months.

Though many couldn't figure out how she managed such a horrible task. Sitting in the room with all of them, knowing that trained shinobi who stood on the same side as you were lurking about outside, was not someone's walk in the park, but she ate, bathed, and slept while living under the same roof and she returned sane—not chippy and as happy as she was four years ago, but she was sane.

Standing in front of them and giving an oral presentation of how they would carry out their assigned mission had proven to be some quite easy for the young girl, and that's how Kakashi found himself baby-sitting at six in the morning. He lost count of the many times he cursed Sakura's name for having the audacity to arrive late while forcing him to be on time. Stopping was a good plan, just in case she appeared and heard him, but the longer he stood around and felt the tense aura that surrounded the brothers, he more the words kept coming.

Being placed under the Uchiha roof with the two clan members, the Akatsuki, Orochimaru, and the girl who managed to deceived them all, he swore that then and their the whole compound would collapse from a full out battle. Sakura's encouragement for him contribute to her plan had reminded him that everything was going to be okay, but she wasn't there to do that now was she?

"Look who's late." Sasuke hummed, pulling Kakashi off the wooden wall with those words as his one eye focused against the brightening light of the sun to take into view Haruno Sakura and her guardian.

The tired look on her face could have been mistaken for how much she internally dreaded such the mission, and the shadows only complimented its depressing features. Although she was already twenty minutes late, her pace remained slow and even, carrying not a single weight of shame or embarrassment on top of the large pack that rested on her back.

Dark eyes lifted of the shadows the spilled from her feet, and she swallowed in Kakashi's gaze for a second too long. A small smirk crept on her lips and without his position in enemy territory, a cool sweat dripped down Kakashi's freshly showered head. _She's gonna make this hell for me._

She had ways of torturing people with a simple glance and lack of words. Her Sharigan contributed nothing to her gift of mental torture, as it was something she had managed to do to him long before the exposure of her true power, and that was just a reminder. Besides her lack of speech and depressing aura, she hadn't changed much since the last time she silently and did not threaten Kakashi. She grew in height and all the areas females were to grow in, but her hair was still kept long and tied in a high pony-tail and wore clothing unsuitable for a ninja.

At the chuunin exam, she wore clothes that exposed her to countless scratches and inconvenient whether, but this time the only thing Kakashi had a problem with is with her choice in footwear. Long black pants, a black tank-top, and a white, waterproof vest, her outfit was close to that of the ANBU uniform that she never wore, but on her feet were black, laced heels that Kakashi couldn't fathom how she ran, fought, or killed in those. However, who was he to judge? The Hokage and Sakura herself had abilities he could never harness, and the ability to fight efficiently in high heeled shoes and travel at the speed he did without a problem.

Trees were as high as Kakashi flew, he didn't need an extra inch that could break his ankles.

"Well, the lecture the Hokage had lasted longer than expected." Ryuu chuckled, strolling along side her in nothing but a sweatpants and a black wife-beater to flash the ANBU tattoo that he received not too long ago. Trust that hell broke loose when Sakura returned to find Ryuu rising in ranks, but instead of stopping him like he had prepared for, she only trained him."Y'know, the one about how she should not hospitalize her ANBU captain, or disrespect him, or turn against him, or anything in those category."

Ah, the Hyuuga was probably in the hospital, cursing her name with worse curses than Kakashi had came up with.

"I wouldn't have to do that if he would stop being such a baby and reporting me for every little thing I did." She grunted, glancing in Ryuu's general direction before turning back to her five assigned teammates. In other words, _rat me out and you'll end up just like him._

Ryuu's smiling eyes wandered to the eldest who stood unmoved. The smile that returned to his face the day Sakura was released from prison faded into a glare before his attention transitioned to the distancing body of the said girl who hadn't, and never did, say goodbye before she left anywhere.

"Now make sure you say please and thank you, play nice with all your little friends. Oh, and make sure you eat all the food I packed you—don't want my baby to starve now." Obediently, she stood as Ryuu's fingers curled at the fat on her cheeks and twisted her face back and forth. No protest and no demonstration of pain, she allowed him to empty heartedly enjoy whatever was left of her—nothing. She stood so broken in one piece. "And if the Uchiha tries to pull anything on you, you make sure to make him regret the day he was born."

There wasn't a care in his voice, not a worry that he spoke so poorly about a man who could kill him if he stood alone. There hadn't been a care four years ago when Kakashi first met Ryuu, and he didn't expect there to be any now that an alliance was in play.

"That's Sasuke's job." She muttered, not fully understanding the humour behind Ryuu's words. But maybe she did, but couldn't bring herself to rejoice in it. No one really knew what happened in the span of one year, returning only three years ago. But one thing was for sure, she didn't leave Akatsuki like this.

Ryuu hung his head and laughed, pulling Sakura tight to him in a warm embrace. Her hand slowly rose to returned his gesture, but there was no passion to it, no feelings. Emptiness.

"Yes, babygirl." His body swayed, swinging back and forth a very tolerant ragdoll. "Now, give daddy a kiss."

He stood back and held his cheek out for her. Rejection was expected from a girl who didn't appear to understand emotions at all, but she still leaned upwards slowly and planted one as asked. His hands cupped her cheeks tenderly and tilted her head forward, returning the gesture and turning her to leave with her team.

"Take care of her Kakashi! If anything happens I'll slice you." He laughed, his hands in his pocket as he winked with his unshaved face. Ah, Kakashi didn't have to worry about facial hair, he was covered. His main worries concerned a threat that would be carried out if Sakura returned harmed.

"Hai hai." He chuckled, raising a hand in farewell.

"See ya." She called over her shoulder, not turning back or waving to return Ryuu feverish arm movements. But he was used to it—not that it hurt any less. One last glare headed in the direction of the elder Uchiha who didn't dare move or return and once Ryuu's back fully faced them, he gestured for Kisame to follow their new captain out.

"Since when is he your dad?" Sasuke was already by her side when they all stood at the opening gates of Konoha. It was still a bit blueish and purple where the sun hadn't hit. A calming silence passed through for a moment of two while her eyes scanned the surrounding areas for a danger that didn't exist to anyone else. Her Sharigan activated with one step forward and the three wielders followed suit without question.

"Who knows." She muttered, her head turning in all directions. What she was wary about, no one else could see, but then again, no one else was the captain. Her body had tensed all over as she waited for something no one knew about, but she turned to them and booming voice of authority returned. All idle conversations were over starting now. If it was something Kakashi had heard, it was that on missions Sakura didn't stray for objective. She was quiet, careful, and alert at all times that in all truths, no one else needed to stand guard. She could execute this mission alone and they all knew it. "During travel everyone is to remain at least ten feet from me."

Being cautious wasn't the reason behind such selfish demands, and if it was one thing Sakura didn't like showing, it was fear. Demanding the distance of organizations that threatened her life wasn't something she would have ever demanded, even before the forming of an alliance destined for doom, but quite the contrary.

Kakashi sighed knowingly and nodded, taking a step back to show his respect to her wishes while the three of the four that remained followed to do the same. Disobedience, he was good at it, but being on a group where two of his teammates did it regularly could only continue on for so long before it tainted him. As of lately, Sasuke had been getting better, but maybe being back in Konoha did have its effects on him.

Recalling a lesson from day one of Team Seven's training was nothing something Sasuke did regularly and it had only seem right to do so when Team Seven was nearly whole again. _Teamwork_, Kakashi told them, _individual play can get you killed._ But here she was, distancing herself from the of her team for whatever reason it may be. Back to back, it was hard enough to cover one's teammates, but she was taking it to a whole nothing level with the distance she demanded of all of them.

"Wh—"

A glare shut Sasuke up immediately and for the first time in his life, a small threatening aura radiate off of her and towards him. The look in her eye, now with her Sharigan eyes glaring at him, left no room for anyone to questions the moves she was making.

"Because I said so." Was a good enough answer.

Her shoulder rose and lowered with her deep intake of air, and she proceeded forward, only signalling them when she felt the space she placed between them was large enough."We will travel until the moon is up and take a six hour break. Tomorrow we will repeat this process and with that we should reach our destination by nightfall."

An eighteen hour run and a six hour break. She may have the tiger demon within her, but Kisame had no such thing. He was a fish to her for crying out loud, yet she expected wonderful things from him. Man, she was worse than Itachi.

"Worse than Ita..." Kisame's statement wandered off with any other complaint he had left in him. A glare from his captain and partner was enough to scare anything off.

"Ready?" She asked hoarsely, teasing out anything else he had to say.

He let out a belly laugh and nodded, saluting her with a grin. "Yes ma'am!"

A smirk returned the sense of humour they all believed Sakura had lost.

* * *

Silence...and maybe the chirping of birds and a complaint here and there, but a sudden whirl of a kunai towards the faces of a fish-look-alike man and a purple hair female noted them that they were required to travel in silence. Their captain traveled a good ten feet ahead of them, and their pace never slowing. Every once in a while, without turning around, she would demand the increase of speed from their weakest member, only for a complaint to be retorted, glared at, or ignored.

Obviously, the title was earned properly regardless of history and fear; ANBU captain Sakura didn't receive this title out of her former position with Akatsuki or her demon. And that was something to be envious of—how easy all of this was for her; how influential and powerful she must truly be behind the fear she sometimes stirred and the use of her demon.

Sasuke's may have received the same fate if only his older brother had trained him and hadn't killed his family, but then again, he may have been a little bit of a baby who idealized his brother rather than training hard.

Right, his brother.

His eyes narrowed at the man who ruined life for him. The casual aura that surrounded Itachi only made it worse. Their eyes met for a fraction of a second, when suddenly, Itachi's gaze tore away to what was ahead. With the small feel of adrenaline pumping through him with an arrival of a possible enemy Sasuke hadn't sense, his vision fixed itself ahead instead of behind to come eye to eye with another pair of Sharigan. Yes, the adrenaline was completely called for.

Sakura glared at him warningly before her gazed fixed on their former sensei. Through narrowness of her eyes and past experiences of executing missions with the pinkette, Kakashi was well aware of what she was telling them all to do.

"Hide." Kakashi translated. His voice was barely a whisper, but it echoed loud enough for anyone concentrating on their surrounding areas as they should have to hear. His body jerked sideways onto a branch, rendering him to be out of view from the path Sakura was travelling. Although hesitant, everyone else followed suit, and only after Ami had realized the impossibility of her leading ahead of her teammates did the information click and she threw herself beside a tree—under ten feet too close.

As it had been the whole time, her pace didn't slow to acknowledge the fact that they were no longer in line to follow. Specks gleamed in the dull light of the sun before the invisible strings that they truly were could be identified when it danced with every inch of Sakura's body. Their expectation of the easy manipulation of her body to avoid such an obvious attack faded into the air with the grunt of pain she released.

The raise of Kakashi's hand stopped the protest from escaping Sasuke's mouth. Mismatch eyes sent him the very same warning glare as before: Don't step out of line.

Out of line? He wasn't sure where he even stood.

The relationship he had with Sakura was built off of understanding and the ability to read one another, but the separation of four years was all that was needed to turn his once best friend into a stranger. What Sakura was planning and what Sakura wanted them to do was something hazy in his mind. There were discrete signals and warnings that he could no longer pick up or understand, but everybody else could. She built a life separate from him and if Naruto hadn't been the worse student of all time, maybe they would've been separated sooner. Would that have made her kidnapping and death easier, he wasn't sure, but having no clue of who she came back as did not.

As if anticipating death, she stood calmly against the bark of the tree, sealed their by strings she could have easily dodged. Stealing a look at Kakashi, he stood calm as he observed with no attempt of his own to assist her. No kunai in hand in case the attack would switch on them and no kunai in hand to assist their captain. Sasuke couldn't say he agreed with Kakashi's choice for did it not let them down more than once?

The appearance of an extra figure switched out the kunai from Sasuke's holster and her prepared himself to save what he lost once. The figure was bulky looking who stood at least a head taller than its victim. Instead of looking scared as she never did, a glare was felt to be much more suited to her.

"Haruno Sakura. Apparently my gang had done quite a number on you and your squad last week." His hardy laugh echoed through the silence of the forest while his stubby, dirty thumb tilted her face to his liking. "It's a surprise to see you carry out another mission so soon."

So was anyone, really, especially after Naruto's exposing detail of her release from a hospital two days prior to the attack from Stone ninjas. But if Sakura could take down an entire fleet of Stone ninjas two days after discharge than she could lead them on a simple mission.

"Hn." She grunted, twisting her face in the opposite direction as the glare on her face didn't subside. A piece of meat was something she refused to be to a man such as himself, or anyone fore that matter. Easily, vines could dance with his body as the invisible strings did with her with only a simple wish for it to do so. But something as that wasn't necessary for the time being. Allowing something such as irritation and annoyance be the root of her violent would only prove how fitting she was for Akatsuki, and she'll carry it to her grave that she wasn't.

If she were she would've stayed.

"Awh, don't be like that now." He cooed at her tenderly—disgustingly if Sasuke had been narrating this story—before his eyes fixed themselves on another possible play thing. Ami gasp quietly as she returned herself behind the tree, cursing herself for her curiosity as everyone else was doing? "Oh, who's your little friend?"

Something flickered behind Sakura's eyes and her lips parted to release the breath she wasn't aware she was holding for someone so worthless. Her head titled sideways as her eyes roamed the tree hosting the hindrance before she turned back to the bulky man and pursed her lips in thought.

"You'd be wasting your time on her." Her voice sounded amuse nonetheless, and she refused to say nothing more until his attention was on her. "She's good for nothing unless you want to screw her."

And for a second, it appeared as though the teams had merged together. As a simple plan was formed between their captain and the enemy. Casual insults directed towards a person on their team with a man they were sure she would soon kill allowed one guard to drop while others heightened out of suspicion.

"Maybe," He laughed again, leaning forward and too close to Sakura for anyone's liking. "If she's as tasty as you look."

Tasty was the last thing anyone looked like, and how Sakura pulled it off with what she wore, she wasn't sure. Though she assumed she looked more appealing to him with heels on and bare arms, while everyone else was dressed in normal shinobi pants, and their desired black shirt. It was to neutralize them of their parties, to compose them as one team working together like they fully trusted each other. No Akatsuki cloaks, no purple belt, or vest specified with Leaf ninja crests—even their headbands weren't warn. One look at them and they would appear to be rouge ninjas, but then again, one look at them and anyone would be able to identify Sakura for pink hair, Kisame for his complexion, and Itachi and Sasuke for their Sharigan and Uchiha features.

Though with Ami's choice of a tank-top did make some of her appealing and the fact that she was much older than Sakura helped with her body shape.

The immobile body of Sakura had pumped their bloods as the man approached Ami's poor hiding space. Even without the use of string, she stood just as frozen as Sakura, but panic painted her features along with fear.

Moving without order was something they were warned to never do—not on this mission and not while dealing with different parties. The consequences for insubordination was much more severe within an alliance than with your own party. It proved disloyalty and no one was willing to risk that in the long run and that is what kept all four men from moving.

As the bulky men turned the corner, Ami gasped a stared at him in horror. He smirked sinisterly and the hand he reached out to touch her with only managed to caressed her cheek shyly before the connection of tiny joints covered in leather sent him back. Ami's body launched in the opposite direction and unsteadily she caught herself on a branch. More was required that fishing wire to keep Sakura in place.

"Don't touch her."

Had they not notice the hate Ami and Sakura mutually felt for one another, they may have been stupid enough to believe she cared for the older girl. Ami stared at her back in terror as an undefined protective aura surrounded Sakura, confusing the younger Uchiha even more than he had been moment ago. No, Sakura was a whole different person than who she was four years ago and who she was the day before. But to take into account all the things she was put through, split personality seemed reasonable to him. Or maybe an identity crisis...

"You bitch!" The man growled was coated with the lack of lust he felt for Sakura or Ami, now replaced with anger and hate. His knuckled tended to the blood that dripped down his jaw, but in an instant he was gone with Sakura. Like the blurs Sasuke had seen when Sakura fought Kisame, witnessing this was like the remake. Blurs of pink flashed by all of them once or twice before her body was visible, and his was covered with gashes and blood.

Sasuke watched in awe as she soundlessly and emotionless killed a man who they were sure had almost ended both her and Ami. And now, oh-so-boredly, she watched as his body painfully slide off the branch. The big heart Sakura had for everything living was gone. The tears Sakura shed when Sakura sought out her revenge wasn't present. She killed a man and felt nothing close to remorse, and underneath her lazy glare, Sasuke wasn't sure what remained.

"Here," Her voice, not close and not from the twenty branches ahead where she only stood seconds ago, startled him. Landing on the same branch as him, the foreign aura that surrounded made her appear so distant. Dinner with Team Seven the night hadn't put her in a situation to identify such a large change in personality or practice. With the blonde doing all the talking and her staying silent through it as she had done years before, he hadn't realized how out of character she truly was.

Her arms stretched past her tied locks and into the sack that hung from her shoulders. Without delay or struggle, what went in empty handed came out with a rolled up map and, doing something most dreaded and hoped to never happened, she directed it to second in command. "Lead the team to the area I marked off."

Naked of polish and the Akatsuki ring, Itachi;s finger engulfed the roll of paper. For what felt like the first time in years, his eyes stared into what was once bright green eyes and understood that he was under her command whether he liked it or not. He had no choice but to follow her orders, no matter what they turned out to be.

She turned without saying more, but before the heel of her shoes managed to leave the branch she easily planted herself on, Sasuke's voice rose in protest for the first time since the glare when they first left.

"Where are you going?"

If Sakura had heard the venom that dripped from Sasuke's tone, she didn't nothing to show it. Although the rest of the group was sure that he cared enough for her well being to have no desire of seeing her head off alone, something a bit more powerful took over him when he asked that question.

"There's more coming for me, so I'm heading off in a different direction." And as if cued, distant voice rung out to their right, drawing nearer by the second. She smirked at the perfect timing and turned to face an ever—always—irritated young Uchiha as his eyes flicked from her and his knew captain.

Her safety was the least of his worries, it was his own needs that were top priority. But she didn't have a problem with it—she would always fall second to his brother in Sasuke's eyes. Everything else fell second to revenge and if the day ever came where her had the opportunity to end his brother or save her life, she knew she was as good as dead.

"You can't just—"

"Sasuke." Her voice overpowered the angry cries, again in the authority voice only few knew about. "I don't care what your ambition is or about your plan for revenge right now. You are to follow your brother's order and as long as you're on this mission, you are not to try _anything_. You can kill him when we get back or when you all leave, I don't care. Just not on _my _mission."

Her voice allowed a light of understanding to shine through his thick, one track mind; to understand why she valued Ami's life. If it was one thing she couldn't handle, it was being responsible for the death of those around her. Technically speaking, not those she was willing to kill, but those who were under her care. Only Team Seven had honour and horror of watching her turn herself inside out when she had came to the terms that she was responsible for the death of her family, although that wasn't the case at all.

She simply wasn't allowing any of them to die and that was final. Now, if Sasuke were to go against her and attempt to kill his brother, something in his gut told him that she would be up his ass in next year before he landed a blow. She was freaky like that—almost like a mother. But then again, she was practically that to him. Who knew where he would be if she hadn't stepped in and taken care of him when he lost his family.

All to a man he wasn't allowed to kill though he had the chance.

"Now go, I"ll meet you all there tonight." She stated, turning herself in the direction of the voice that approached them quickly. "And don't stop until you get there."

* * *

A verbal nudging or glance wasn't needed for Kakashi to know what his task in her absence was. Having a chance to be paired with Sakura countless times in the past when she stood at Jounin, he knew what was required of him without the need of signalling it. One could say, he learned a bit more about Sakura over the courses of those missions. Ones learned by being ordered to do so once or twice, and others from watching others quiver from receiving Sakura's rage when what was supposedly obvious wasn't put in play.

She was going to give him hell on this mission already because cursing her name had amused her so, but he did not need to be put on her bad list while the mood was already sour.

Sasuke and Itachi were to be kept apart and though Itachi wouldn't be a problem, Sasuke would. However, he posed to not be ever since their departure from Sakura twelve hours back and kept a decent distance from his brother.

_His brother_...it was almost painful to rendering as siblings.

Guessing from Sakura's absence over a long period of time, Sasuke's mind would be occupied with more important things than the death of his brother to satisfied a very twisted need. Only at a mile away from where Sakura stood, loud battle cries, explosions and an ever threatening growl of a cat shook the whole forest. Itachi hadn't stopped to ensure that Sakura was alright and since he kept moving, so did they. But most would've guess he had faith in his training of Sakura, though no one wanted to recall that factor.

Sakura was trained by Itachi; somewhere along those lines made her a traitor to Sasuke even though it hardly mattered anymore. She was a traitor the whole time she was with him, since before the massacre and after it. He never knew, but it was old hat and irrelevant. Something such as that would not define her. What defined her now was her ability to kill without remorse and a misplace care for the people she worked with.

It would be much easier if she didn't have a sense of responsibility for Itachi's life as she did for his, or Kakashi's or the fish or the slut. Sasuke could kill Itachi if it wouldn't affect her. But he wasn't willing to put her through what she experienced in Snow, it was all to painful to watch and that blonde wasn't with them to comfort her.

It was a brief feel, but Kakashi was sure he sensed it. Ever since anyone could remember, Sakura kept her demon chakra and her normal chakra hidden from everyone around her. It was too suffocating to have on, she told them, and man did they actually know when they took that overnight mission. The first night was impossible to sleep with the unfathomable pressure seeping into every room in Inari's house. Only did they become accustom to it were they able to relax around it, but then Naruto unleashed his demon and the pressure tripled.

Awake, she kept it under lock, but asleep they were all in danger. Her chakra range was undetermined, but anyone would bet it would travel far. Though a small amount was released only seconds ago, signalling them to the midway mark.

"I sense Sakura's chakra."

Man, was it ever weird answering to a man that nearly killed him four years ago.

Itachi's shifted direction in one swift twisting on his ankle, sending them forty degrees right and after a couple more minute of tense, quiet travelling, a small orange glow radiated in the distance. Sakura sat comfortable against one of the three falling trees that was no doubt her doing, encircling her in a self-made space with a campfire in the centre. A small pot hung over the wild flame, brewing something Sasuke and Kakashi knew too well.

"When did you get here?" Sasuke questioned, only after Sakura retrieved the given map from his wordless brother.

Artfully, she folded it and placed in the pocket of her pack before rummaging through and pulling out bowls and utensils. One look at all the domestic equipment and the name _Ryuu_ came to mind. Only ten years older than Sakura, but was made a father at sixteen. Though no one looked at him that way then, they definitely did now.

Last time anyone checked, she was left behind to fight off god knew how many men and take a separate route from theirs. The pace Itachi had them travel at was tiring, but this time Ami made no attempt to complain and traveled a couple of feet behind them. Ami's lack of speed was besides the point, what was more important to them all was that Sakura was ahead when she was left behind. The speed she must've traveled at should've been impossible to maintain for the distance they covered—impossible.

"A few hours ago." But with that it made almost everyone feel a bit worse about themselves—almost everyone. Kakashi said nothing, and positioned himself beside her and watched her with knowing eyes. Since their first mission where Kakashi had to count her as an equal, he always thought he was somehow closer to her than the rest of the team—despite the amount of time she spent with Sasuke—and he still stood by that.

"And the enemy?" He pressed, his eyes glistening against the fire as he watched her stir the pot and pour its contents in the bowls Kakashi took the liberty of handing her. He was more active than any mission Sasuke remembered accompanying him on, his orange, now teal, book hadn't shown its dirty face once throughout the whole travel and he argued with himself that it would when they stopped.

He figured people changed, but not this much of this dramatic. What the hell happened to Kakashi?

"Taken care of." Which everyone had known meant _dead_. Any sign of remorse was hidden behind tired eyes, but no one knew for sure, even Kakashi didn't know for certain on this case. The bowl in her hand filled fully, but chopsticks reached back into the pot of pieces of meat and artificial crab meat that remained. Her arms moved unaffected by the wild flames, but it was anyone's bet that she was making them as wild and hot as they were.

"Damn, I miss your cooking." Kisame groaned, releasing himself of his large sword as he plopped himself against the fallen tree. Itachi took his position in standing, and he did nothing to oppose to Kisame's display of weakness. The large man grinned as rubbed his shoulders, staring at the pot hungrily like the shark he represented.

"It's just ramen." She shrugged, extended her arm out to whoever was willing to get their ass up and grab hold of the bowl. "Here."

It was cup ramen for that matter, only cooked in a pot to demonstrate poison was impossible. Ami was over in a second, crouching down beside the fire as she reached out for the heated bowl.

But the bowl was the least of her interest when curious eyes caught onto something expensive and sparkling. Her two hands took hold of Sakura's and flipped the upturned palm over, causing Sakura's other hand to reach over before the bowl or its contents littered the untouched ground.

"Hey, is that...?" She began, but her view of bare fingers hand been replaced with the bare ground, which had an orangey red tint to it from the fire that sparked a little hotter than it did moments ago.

Looking up she received an extremely irritated glare for a pinkette who was obviously too tired to handle her for the night and when the bowl was shoved in her direction, she took it without resistance. She familiarized herself on a log different from Sakura and Kakashi, and Kisame and Itachi, claiming it as a log for Orochimaru's organization for her and Sasuke. But Sasuke was far too occupied with what distracted her earlier to even notice he was on Akatsuki log, and eventually, after watching her prepare meals for everyone else, he finally stated what everyone else was unsure to finalize.

"You're engaged."

The gold band gleamed in the fire light and it's green stone modestly shone. It fitted perfectly on her ring finger, sealing her away from any man that was sure to approach her and sitting as the source of Uchiha Itachi's surprise and irritation. The way it sat so comfortably on her finger just mocked him, though he wasn't sure what it was truly mocking him of. Was it not he who ended their relationship and fucked her childhood bully? No, he bore no rights for jealousy or hate—if he could ever be jealous. Uchiha Itachi jealous? Get real. If he wanted Sakura back then she would be under his arms within seconds, but she wasn't, and that was merely because he didn't want her and not because she was engaged.

"Hn." She answered, handing Kakashi his bowl before resting herself against the log. She wasn't eating, but the dirty, empty bowl beside her told them why. She really had been waiting for them for hours on end, giving her enough time to knock down trees, gather wood, light a fire, and set up her sleeping bag.

Sasuke wasn't sure how she managed to beat them here when he had been worried that she was injured miles behind, but he was positive she wasn't going to reveal her secret to who he knew she deemed as the enemy. The Hokage trusted these organizations, but she didn't, and Sasuke agreed with her judgement. Hell, he didn't even trust Orochimaru, why the hell would he trust Akatsuki—especially with the fact that they were housing his brother.

"Since when?"

She never recalled Sasuke being so talkative. Jesus, when were Uchihas talkative in the first place? Four years ago they weren't, but this one was talking her up and down, left to right, when sleep was whispering her name. She kept herself awake long enough to lire them to the right place and made sure they were fed, not so she could discuss with them information of complete irrelevance—even to her best friend.

All the time in the world was presented to them now that they had an alliance and knew that they were both alive—well, actually, all the time before Orochimaru or Akatsuki steps up—but he felt the need to pester her now that she was _this _close to losing conscious.

"A while." Her blunt answer didn't hide the annoyance in her voice, and she tilted her head to take in his unfazed state. He wanted to know who, he wanted to know why, and he wanted to know how. Somewhere in the pits of his stomach, under all the ramen that he ate, he believed the man to be his brother—and even that was too sour for Sakura to entertain herself with. Sakura engaged to Itachi? That would've been a dream she had seven years ago, but seven years does a number on people. "To a man in Snow."

"What? You're so young." Kisame said between slurps, downing his bowl in two bites and reaching for another one. "Throwing your life away, I say!"

Married at sixteen? What usually followed marriages was raising little rascals. May as well retire as a shinobi while she was at it and give herself up to Akatsuki when her children became ANBU at sixteen. But fuck it, with her as a mom they may as well be ANBUs when they're four. She'll die at early age of twenty.

"I didn't ask for your say." She answered bitterly, turning her body to him as her covered herself with the warmth of her sleeping bag. Kisame glanced up at Itachi questionable, but his partner did nothing to even acknowledge the conversation that unravelled in front of him. In four years Sakura manged to get herself into a relationship with whoever the fuck he was, get herself engaged, and Kisame believed she was too young to do so. Cool, he didn't care. "Now eat up, you and Ami have first shift. Sasuke and I will take second."

"Can't believe _you're_ engaged." Ami barked, tossing her bowl carelessly at Sakura's covered body. The ceramic shattered as it came to contact with a ground Neko morphed, and when it lowered many had expected angry, red eyes to glaring at her. But Sakura didn't move from under her sleeping bag, she only sighed loud enough for all to hear.

"Course, you didn't expect to get married before I did, did you?" It was a disgusted grunt and her body shifted, curling itself into the ball underneath and the fire dimmed at will. "Everyone fucks a slut, but no one marries her. Now eat."

Kisame chuckled at the sly remark and thought unconsciously _Some things never change._

* * *

The dark wasn't such an interesting sight, and her quiet yawn demonstrated how she thought so quite contrarily. From time to time, her eyes to scanned the people below, feeling more threatened from them than she did of outsiders. She slept like a baby for the first two hours, knowing well she was protected by everyone. No one dared to sleep and she believed they truly wouldn't until she heard Kisame snoring. Now she was positive no one would be able to sleep and Itachi would rise up and slaughter his partner.

Though he wouldn't be sleeping anyways, she knew. And neither would Kakashi or Sasuke.

The rustling of leaves came to her left and she only slumped more against the bark of the tree. It wasn't a threat to their health, but maybe to her patience as Sasuke landed on the same branch as hers and made himself at home.

"You were assigned to the other side." She yawned again, shifting in the spot she assigned herself to for the last hour. Only an hour more and she could sleep again—why the hell did she decide to take middle shift? With first shift, you were allowed four hours of sleep before getting ready to go. With last shift, you were allowed four hours of sleep before getting ready to guard and leaving right after. But taking the position of middle sleep, you were allowed two hours and sleep before and after that were no where near as fulfilling as a straight four hour shift.

_Dammit all._

"There hasn't been anyone for hours." He yawned in reply, causing an amused smirk to play in the darkness of the forest while Sakura sat patiently for him to continue. "I just wanted to talk."

"Hn." Of course he did. "About what?"

"You're alive." He said, and she nodded although she knew full well he couldn't see it. But way to state the obvious, she fought the urge to turn at him and say "No, Sasuke, I'm actually dead". She questioned him as he questioned her. She had no idea who he was either—he was stupider than the Sasuke she left behind four years ago. "And engaged."

Ah, so that's what it really was about; her engagement to who he suspect was his brother—a man who thought she was just as dead as Sasuke did two days ago along with the rest of the world. Akatsuki brought upon the annoyance of fame that made missions so much more complicated. It was hard enough to be identified as ninja, when when identified as _The Haruno Sakura_ she may as well cover herself in light bulbs and walk around naked.

"I know."

In the vague light of the moon, intervened by tree leaves and branches, Sasuke could tell she shifted a little. Her attention was elsewhere, but also no where, anything but on him or the real subject at hand. Engaged in four years? Who could be great enough to sweep Sakura off her feet at twelve and convince her to be agree to marriage at sixteen? Only someone who she was familiar with...

"Who is he?"

"You haven't met him."

or someone she was forced into marrying.

"It's been four years and you're only sixteen. I know you better than to agree to an arranged marriage." His tone was harsh, full of the disappointment and raged that usually got her heart pounding and her mind racing to figure out a way to change his mood. She usually didn't associate herself when he was in this state, or she would be worried, threatened, or cared enough to try to pull him out of it—but not this time, not when feelings were mutual.

"It wasn't arranged." She muttered, sighing to the trees as her head rose to the moon. "He purposed and I said yes on my own accord."

His eyes focused on her silhouette. The tone in her voice wasn't something to be ignored and anyone could tell, even though she was foreign to him, that there was more behind the want than simply wanting to wed this m_an in Snow_.

If he hadn't known any better, he would've been ignorant to the fact that Sakura had most likely gotten herself into trouble again, but being with her as long as he has he knew she got herself into some kind of mess that she wasn't telling anyone of it.

What was there to say when he didn't even know exactly what she got herself into? Waiting around usually left everyone useless in the spur of the moment, but she had never given them much of a choice. Whatever it may be, he could only hope it was something they could handle when the time came—if that's what this really was.

"Does Naruto know?"

Only yesterday Sasuke was nearly choked to death for welcoming existence with a kiss by the said man, it was only natural to question how he accepted such a news when it was common sense what happened the night of the wedding. If kissing her was violating her, than what was to come that night was punishable by death.

"Yeah, he knows." Her tone turned airborne, lighter than what it was only minutes ago. The idea of the blonde's reaction amused them both, though Sasuke more than Sakura for opposite reasons.

The wedding that Sasuke was sure every single person was invited would crashed before it even launched. The minute the blonde finds himself in a two miles radius of her fiancee, his already low tolerance of anything involving Sakura and another man would be non-existence and the joyous event will turn into a funeral. For who, Sasuke couldn't say.

"And?"

"There's a reason why I don't allow him to come to visit." As though she had lost fuel, lost joy and happiness, her voice dead-panned. The small chime that came with her laugh and happiness was something muted—Sasuke hadn't heard it in four years, and with whatever happened to her, he was sure there was no way he would ever hear of it again.

Listening to her speak and watching her was watching a dying flower. She was a flower if her name had anything to say about it, but she was wilting too soon for any of their likings. The sweet scent disappeared long before it filled their hearts to anyone's contents, and the bright colour disappeared along with it. Only months with Akatsuki and they crushed the flower that they picked, but their excuse was reasonable; they were Akatsuki.

"You're not the Sakura-chan I knew from four years ago." Sasuke stated with the very same dead-panned tone; mocking her, teasing her, attempting to pull out the same ache that she stirred in him for seeing her this way. But the whole plan reeked of futility. He had been an emotionless, dead-panned asshole for years on end. Something such as using a dead-pan voice was to her ears what oxygen was to her lungs.

She had it all before.

"So everyone tells me."

The air that followed wasn't filled with a heavy sigh of regret and pain, just the whistling of tree leaves and crickets. So everyone has told her and so she doesn't care. Any hope for her attempt to change ended with that sentence. Anything anyone had had in mind to use to change her back dead long ago and Sasuke knew that if Naruto couldn't bring her back, then neither could he. His return only brought her joy that was present for a moment, but barely. She just didn't care about anything anymore.

"What happened?" His voice was a harsh whisper compared to howling wind and the way she didn't move to it curled his fingers and narrowed his eyes a tad but more than they already were.

Seconds passed. Minutes passed. But eventually, Sakura's curled body straighten and her legs hung freely in the wind. They swung back and forth carelessly, impersonating a girl who would be filled with happiness, but if the moon touched her the right way it would make out a tired, but emotionless shinobi. "Nothing."

The wind blew passed again and played with the strands of her hair. Their thing lining danced on the face of the full moon as one thing came to mind instantly.

"It was my brother."

With the way his voice boomed through the forest, Sakura had no doubt everyone below could hear it over Kisame's snoring. Though she figured Sasuke didn't care that his brother was below, or anyone else for that matter. The person she had become was much more interesting to everyone who had known her four years prior, but it was stupid to try to bring it all back.

She had been hoping for that for the last three years, but she was still the same person coming out of the same outcomes she put herself in.

His brother, he said, why did everything have to be about his brother? Didn't he have enough reasons to kill his brother? What was one more to do? Nothing, that was it, in the end Sasuke would kill him anyways—whether or not he was the cause of her state of mind. Her association with him ended four years ago when she left Akatsuki, and the constant connection every makes was only a bitter reminder as to why.

"No."

The two letter word filled his tense body with anger, throwing him on his feet as though he was ready to somehow attack and defeat her response with physical force. Words, they were really just sounds coming out of people's mouths, but they had such a huge impact on everyday life. Words were the beginning and end to all problems if violence wasn't.

"You're defending him." In wasn't a surprise to feel the rage in his voice direct towards her, and if she honest with anyone, it had troubled her for the last two days that this rage hadn't surfaced sooner. By soon, she meant the second he realized she still among the living, but death and resurrection was probably more important—maybe death did have more benefits to it if it spared her from this this long.

"No, I'm not." But with this matter, she would've wished to stay dead longer. Surely the effects of it would last longer on Sasuke and a discussion such as this one wouldn't had such a large audience below. A sigh accompanied her frustration and she turned herself to straddle their small branch. "You are free to kill your brother, it doesn't bother me. Just not on this mission; you'll be jeopardizing all of the alliances—Konoha can't handle that."

No, an attack on the village from Akatsuki on the inside would be too complicated an devastating. The causalities would be too high, and more civilians would fill that slot rather than shinobis. She could stand her ground against some of the Akatsuki, but with the Leader and Hidan put in play, they would be no way of winning.

Konoha wouldn't be able to handle the attack.

"Hn." He grunted, leaning himself against the tree with much force.

The moon allowed Sasuke to make out the vague outlines of her body, but the reflection of the sun hitting him directly, she was able to studying under the covers of her shadow. He stood much taller than his brother when he was at that age, but as of now Itachi only stood about an inch or two above him. His dark eyes had the same determination when looking at his brother as she had seen on Naruto countless times, holding a dark past that was to be overcome with a certain goal, and she decided then and there that Sasuke was nothing like Itachi. Both black and powerful when read, Itachi had this underlying zest for life, while Sasuke's was hallow.

Itachi didn't know pain like Team Seven.

But that void in him would only grow larger, be it he succeeded or failed his life goal. With enough problems on her hand he needed to be taken care of when given the time, and my, was time generous that night.

"Do you know why your brother killed your family?" Her questioned dripped with knowledge that he knew she knew he didn't possess.

A secret that she kept hidden about the most important thing in his life, either to spare him or spare his brother. Knowing such a fine detail wasn't something he dwelled upon and whatever Itachi gave him that night was what he took; there was no way Itachi was getting himself out of this one.

"It doesn't matter anymore." He still had that bitterness to him that she knew she could never fix. She had tried in the past, but now it was impossible—not when she was sure she was just as bitter.

But what she couldn't fix, truths and knowledge could. What was dark could be pieced why light—be it peace or information that can turn the darkest things into good.

"Hm, I think it does." She hummed, drawing him in with her interest in conversation and tales he only heard half of.

Her closeness to Itachi was something deeper than he and his brother had ever shared. It still lingered in the awkward air that surrounded the two when they interacted, despite their choice to not acknowledge their broken past; broken and buried under emotionless faces and professionalism, covered with suppressed pain and anger as they pretended they didn't know each other beforehand.

"Do _you_ know why?"

She peered at him from beneath her lashes, watching as his body filled with the same rage it had before, this time distributed evenly towards her and his brother. Like they were on the same team, fighting for the same thing, and committing the same crime. Maybe the day where she had to pick sides came sooner than she expected.

He straightened and took a step towards her, his red eyes glowing against his pale face. That's what defined him so vastly from his brother; he wore to much emotions. Well, he had always been moody and no one could say they blamed him. While Itachi, on the other hand, wore this mask of stone and she couldn't figure which one annoyed her mood—too much emotion or too little?

"Yeah, I do." Then her legs were back to swinging again, and her eyes wandered from him to the men that laid "asleep" a couple dozen feet below. "I knew before he even did it."

And the body beneath them stirred. Kakashi, awake for the last while, prepared himself to tear Sasuke off Sakura when needed be. What she was getting herself into—in the middle of the night when everyone was tired for the days journey—he had no idea. The lack of sleep must be interfering with her practical thinking because angering an edgy, tired Sasuke was something no one found amusing when his intention were dead set to kill.

"Then—" His eyes had widened with the horror he had felt for wanting to kill her as well as his brother. For holding her accountable for the deaths of his entire family when he had betrayed himself in caring for her all these years.

"I didn't know he was going to do it." She shook her head with the same shame she felt from him as she did for herself. "I knew he had the hate and the love to do it...if I had known I would've stopped him."

She could've stopped him if she wanted to, if she had known about it. Was she saying that or did she mean it? Would she really had stopped him if she had known? The same questions rattled both of their brains, questioning friendships and loyalty, along with power and weakness. At the age of nine and head over heels infatuated with Uchiha Itachi, would Haruno Sakura really have stood up to him in the time of need to save Uchiha Sasuke from this pain?

"He did it for power." Sasuke's toned had been filled with the very same disgust many times before and every time for the same reason. His brother and this time, for the first time in her life, Sakura felt the same disgust as he did. But their reference of time and events were different, while Sasuke was relatively far in the past, Sakura's was somewhat recent—dating back to only for years.

"No, that's the bullshit he told you so you'd kill him." Her voice dropped to a thoughtful whisper, and she was only so grateful that the moon covered her depressed features as she stared at the man her best friend hated with all his might. "Believe it or not, he was very kind, loving, and noble six years ago. He wanted you to kill him to make things right."

But if someone had told her that reason now, bullshit would be quite opposite to what she would define it. That reason was more suitable now than it had been seven years ago, and if he had slaughtered his family now, she'd eat the excuse right up. Uchiha Itachi didn't kill his family for power, but he would've.

"Things will never be right." Sasuke grunted, itching to take hold of his weapon and lunging down to the sleeping man below. Things wouldn't have to be set right if they were never wronged to begin with. Even with the death of his brother, things would never be right again—they would just be a tad bit better.

Piercing red eyes turned from below to the very person who mocked him, releasing a grunt in response to what was the most hurtful thing he had confessed. Sakura's legs still swung idly, that he could tell from the shadows, and from the point of her nose and the define line of her chin, Sasuke was aware she was staring at the same person he was only seconds ago.

"They never were to begin with." She let out a breathless laugh that time.

Having been with Sakura since after the massacre, she had always stayed silent during his rants about the death of his clan. She had no comment about the events that played out that night, and simply listened while he released his confusion and rage. But for the first time since then, Sasuke understood why she had stayed so silent. She neither agreed with how things turned out, but she didn't hate it either—and her lack of hate would've angered him as it did now.

"How could you—"

"Do you think living with a man who abuses you out of his own insecurity is right? For you and your brother to be controlled day in day out?" She snapped, her voice raising so loud that Kisame's snoring fell silent. Her body rose until she stood even with the moon to Sasuke, and this time, her red eyes bore deeply into his. They held anger and hate towards a man she knew very little about, but dead to all. His father; she hated him. "He wanted to be free from that. He wanted _you_ do be free from that. That's why he did it, Sasuke."

But maybe that was why she didn't stop him. Maybe she didn't want to know so she would not hold accountability for. She had a hate towards a man who died at the hands of his brother, whose hands had beaten them all once or twice. The first time her ever really saw Sakura was when she stood beaten and bloodied, bruised and crying by the hands of his father. The anger his father had that day was meant for Itachi, but she stepped in and redirected it towards her, defending him when all Sasuke and his mother could do was watch in horror, hoping Itachi would come out as okay as he had the thousand times before.

Sasuke had nothing to say to counter it. He had nothing to argue about because what his father did was very well known to the three. That was her justification to Itachi's killings, but it couldn't be his. It just couldn't, not with everything he had been through.

"You're just saying that because you don't want me to kill him." His eyes left hers to stare at the blackness that was to be trees and leaves. She always had intense eyes when she wanted them to be, but they were always green, not red.

"I told you don't care if you kill him." She whispered, her face turning to stare at the same nothingness. "I'm telling you this so you know before you make up your mind."

The wind howled again, but Kisame's snoring didn't return. Any chance of sleep was eliminated that instant for loyalties were again questioned as of relationships, deaths, and memories.

"My mind's already made up." Was Sasuke's response, and she hadn't expected any different. Not yet to say the least, but as much shit as it got her into with everyone else, she had hope in him that he would choose good over evil if something like that was good enough for him. Itachi had good intentions, but doesn't everyone who is deemed evil by society?

"People change." She retorted, spinning herself around to the chakra she knew so well. Her arms shot out to keep Sasuke back, preventing him from the involvement of something that didn't concern their lives or this mission. All things irrelevant to this mission was to stay irrelevant—but what the hell did she just do?

She knew taking second shift was a bad idea.

* * *

**This chapter was to be much much longer, but if I made it as long as I intended, there would be five things happening in one chapter and that's no fun. You're all just gonna have to wait until the next one where the mission officially kicks off.**

**I don't own Naruto or any of its original characters.**

**xoxo**


	10. Second In Command

**Chapter Eleven: Second in Command**

* * *

Horses and footsteps filled the morning air of the unknown village, reminding them all of their own. If it was of any importance, they would have noticed that Kisame was the only member of their squad that wasn't originally from the Leaf Village, but then again, Sakura wasn't either. To the ignorance of the civilians, trained, deadly eyes watched their every movement since sunrise—correction, tired, trains, and deadly eyes.

Kakashi and Itachi had been up earlier and their captain still mentally cursed herself for assigning herself to the worst shift possible. What was suppose to be four hours of sleep—taken in intervals of two—only felt like one. Not to mention having to guard to the people her partner had every intention to kill, including herself.

As though the tension between Sasuke and Itachi wasn't enough, she went along two nights prior and built a heavier atmosphere between her and the both of them. The involvement of personal needs in professional tasks complicates things—she, of all people, should've known better than to let the heat of the moment get to her. But whatever the case may be, it was better to finish the mission in order to return and go their separate ways instead of allowing this heavy atmosphere to slow them down. Tsunade already didn't like the idea that the initial mission time was four days, making her extend it to seven "just in case".

In case of what? One, Akatsuki attacks Konoha or Two, Akatsuki attacks Sakura. But it was Itachi and Kisame, and if taken the opportunity to rise against her, she wouldn't hold back this time. Holding back last time was an obvious mistake that would never be made again.

From her spot on a branch, setting her a couple feet back from the prying eyes of anyone walking the streets, she closely observed her assigned member. A veteran of such an assignment that it taking one man down was like stealing candy from a baby compared to the time she took down nine. However, from where they all stood and observed, things were going terribly.

Her lips pursed in disappointment and she eyed both her partner and her teammate. Itachi's body balanced on the branch a couple feet to her right, while Kakashi was to her left. _Partner._ She nearly forgotten about the small detail until he reminded her this morning. Two days of travelling as one big pack, no one had the liberty of working with their assigned day-time partner. And it took everything within her being to not jump from her skin when she called to leave and turned around to the face the Uchiha she hadn't been expecting.

A quick tug at the heart reminded her of the affects he still had on her, much to her objection.

Withheld from those around her was the information that she has been double thinking her every movement and cursing them all: leaving Sasuke with Itachi, talking to Sasuke about Itachi, and now carrying out a mission with Itachi as her partner and lifeline. Say that anything were to happen, Itachi would be the one everyone would depend on to rescue her and/or carry the team to safety. That idea wasn't comforting when looked upon at any angle.

"You don't like melons?" The shrieking voice of her most trusted member pulled her back from her self-pity and shame. Ami stood in her low-cut, sleeveless black shirt, prompting her breast up—as she always had—with her folded arms.

Although it was amusing, things were going terribly, and she questioned if Kisame could preform this task better than Ami at this point. Maybe her charm only worked on Akatsuki men, or, as Sakura had been questioning since the day Ami's membership was discovered, she drugged or preformed some jutsu that went unnoticed by all eleven members. That, or this man was dense as could be.

"Are you sure?" Quick hands took hold of two large, sphere-like fruits, positioning them in the right spot to be mistaken for a female body part. But she had to give the girl credit, she was as shameless as always.

To sneak into the Akatsuki base and _seduce_ the men as she had under the fake name of _Kimoki_ when two people—Sakura and Itachi—knew her long before then. But as much as both hated to admit this fact, Ami had tricked them because throughout the whole ordeal, none had a clue as to who the girl was until after Sakura met Karin and exposed her true identity at the meeting held two days ago.

Conniving, sneaky, and tactful—Sakura could respect that part about the girl, but this side of her was out of the question, especially when she wasn't putting herself into good use.

"Erm..."

Green eyes studied his every breath and every movement, taking in his confused and embarrassed face before traveling down to meet the foot he used to take a step back.

One more bad move and he would make a run for it.

Kakashi's head snapped quickly to fast movements that occurred to his right. He nearly forgot that Uchiha Itachi was kneeling a couple feet beside him, but thankfully Sakura had reminded him. Feverishly, she discarded her white vest, tossing it carelessly at Itachi while her hands worked fast to shoot down her shirt and adjust her breast.

She was so angrily amused at the infamous girl who managed to penetrate Akatsuki headquarters, it only amused Kakashi how seriously she took such a simple mission. Wasn't he suppose to be the uptight old man who ordered them around and lectured them? She had fallen asleep the first time they _met_, but he has yet to see her as relaxed as she been all those years ago.

Her figure disappeared the second Kakashi could process what he was viewing, only for his mind to retaliate and realize he was staring into the eyes of a glaring Uchiha Itachi. Sharigan on Sharigan, Kakashi's eyes reminded him that Sakura was no less his student than she was of his—despite the lack of learning. Where Itachi stood in her life for a mere year, Kakashi had been with her for the previous four.

"Ah, Ami! There you are!" Sugar, spice, and everything nice, her voice dripped of a sweetness no one had tasted in years. It drew both men from a fight they agreed they would have one day, but one where they weren't foolish enough to begin then a there. A bare arm hooked onto another, and Sakura's tightly dressed body leaned onto Ami's while she smiled brightly at their man. "Hi."

"Hi?" With a small thump, his heel steadied itself on the ground to Sakura's satisfaction. Ungloved fingers—naked of a wedding ring—dug into the skin of the older girl with excitement, and pink hair twirled with the sudden tilt of her head. The thick hold rocked back and forth as she turned her head to smile at the person she hated the most at the moment, whose own face was plastered with annoyance and confusion.

"Oh, who's your new friend?" Sakura chirped, before turning her high held chin towards the said new friend and a small canal of breasts flashed before anyone who stood to her left, right, and front while her body tipped towards him and legs straightened. "Is she bothering you?"

"No, she was just trying to sell me some watermelons." His chuckled rumbled through their ears as Sakura's smiling face faded with concentration and anticipation. The mask returned as his gaze rested on her and she simply nodded and shook her head.

"Mm." She hummed, raising her arm to present to the world what she held. "I got us breakfast!"

Layers of boxes were held in place by a simply wrapping of a plastic bag. Extending her arm to the side, the bottom of it could touch the ground he was sure. With that much food, it could feed a family of twenty, but standing in front of him were two young women who were petite—and that's how he liked them. While one was older, a little more developed, and pushy, the other stood with innocence and naivety. He already had his favourite.

But white, stretched, ready to pop plastic made him unsure of others. Everything would go wrong if there were.

"Jesus, that's a lot for only two people." He commented, leaning his body towards the large package.

Her eyes darted between him and package, a sweet giggly escaping her lips as her nail traveled about the base of her neck, imitating embarrassment as she seen it many times on Kakashi and Naruto.

"Yeah, but we've been travelling for days and I'm starving!" Her hand snapped to gentle graze her lips, as her green eyes flickered about in embarrassment at the volume of her voice. She giggled again at him and her eyes crinkled with a smile, causing him to return it.

"Right, you're a Leaf Village shinobi. Haruno Sakura."

So amazing how something so little and childish be so lethal. Standing in front of him was a girl who laughed and giggled at everything, while on missions supposedly showed nothing and did nothing but murder their pray. Her bright exterior subsided for a moment and her brows farrowed in slight horror. Feeling the heat of a prey, his did as well, recalling his mistake for calling her out on her identity.

"Right." She nodded, softening her features once again and extending her newly unlooped arm for him. "I'm Haruno Sakura, nice to meet you."

"Souta." He took it gently and shook it, smirking at her briefly before returning his attention to both of them. "What are you two doing all the way out here?"

_Here we go_, she mused in her mind, fluttering her lashes at the pleasing results. Too bad for him for thinking she was flirting with him, but hey, whatever tickled his balls would do.

"Vacation." And her arm was back to intertwining with Ami's and she turned her face to who he assumed was her best friend and flashed her an eye crinkling smile. "I brought her along to accompany me."

The Sharigan pair watched her in silence, though one was itching to make a comment on how scary this truly made her. To truly possess the ability to fool them all these years...but that obviously wasn't the case anymore—if it ever really was. Being friendly wasn't on her memo anymore, though if it was, there was no doubt in Kakashi's mind that Naruto would be praising the heavens for their good fortune. All the boy ever wanted was the same kind hearted Sakura who giggled at his lame jokes to make him feel better, and laughed at Sasuke's distress that she was before. She was a team player and an affectionate person when it came down to it, but she just wasn't there anymore.

He would know in the back of his mind, if she suddenly popped up in this condition, he wouldn't question how authentic it really was—unlike Kakashi. But none if it mattered to Sakura. With her abilities, she must've known that for years that he questioned her. Though it didn't affect her when she spoke or acted around him—well, not that he knows of, or ever will.

The ability to overlook anything and play it off as nothing was baffling, especially to the extent she took it. It was quite different when speaking of Akatsuki, knowing that people such as them cared for nothing more than themselves. Sakura, on the other hand, no doubt cared for many things. However, her ability to suppress all of that and keep a straight face was petrifying. She could be dying inside and no one would know. She could be planning someone's death and it would all come as a surprise.

Then again, Kakashi's paranoia was kicking in.

"Are you ladies staying in town for a while?" Souta pressed, sliding his thumbs into the pockets of his pants as he studied his surroundings without interest. His hazel eyes returned to Sakura—whom he noticed had been doing all the talking. Her friend stood and watched them converse in silent, making no act to interfere with their interaction.

"Yeah, another night of two before we head back." But Sakura stared at Ami as she spoke, almost checking for an agreement or correction, but got what she really wanted in the end.

"Why?" Ami finally spoke, pulling Souta's attention.

"Well," His fingers imitated Sakura's action for earlier; scratching the back of his head as he pieced together his desire. "I was just wondering if..." But his hand stopped suddenly, dropping back into his pocket as he neutralized his position by taking a step forward—making up for his step back in Sakura's mind."There's a club I'll be hanging out at tonight and I was just wondering if you two lovely ladies would like to come along."

Smiling on the outside, her insides smirked with triumph.

"Ooh, we'd love too." She nodded at his offer with false excitement before she tugging at Ami's arm. "Aha, see you there."

His eyes followed the way their bodies swayed on departure, turning the corner of shack, but not before Sakura's eyes caught onto his again. The smile she sent him urged him to follow them, but doing so would stir the appearance of desperation, something that no one found attractive—not even Sakura. Instead his body turned in the other direction, completely disregarding the fact that behind the shack lead to no where by the side of another building.

* * *

Two bodies emerged into the clearing, with one stood tall while the other slumped slightly beside them. Sharigan eyes present after a choice to putting it out of use for the last little while, it did a one over of the surrounding before subsiding to green again. Sakura released her hold of Ami's arm without a fuss or dramatic movement, contrary to Kisame's assumption, and proceeded over to the men who did nothing since sunrise but lay around and counted the leaves on the trees that surrounded the area.

So far, their targeted tree had three thousand, seven hundred, and fifty-one leaves according to Sasuke, but Kisame was persistent on it being two thousand and one hundred, and eight-nine. But silly Kisame, fish can't count.

Sasuke rose with the sound of the rustling leaves, and standing in front of their captain was his brother, extending his arm to return her piece of clothing like they were intimate or close—friends for all anyone knew. But for all Sasuke knew, they probably were—she didn't hate the fact that Itachi killed their family after all.

Her free hand stretched across her body and retrieved the material, lazily draping its hood over her head while the rest dangled to flow in the breeze. "Got breakfast." She muttered, in place of a thank you or eye contact, and she lowered to the ground and distributed the contents inside.

"Officially the best captain ever." Kisame grinned, scooping up the three take-out boxes that Sakura specially singled out for him. "Itachi-san never buys me breakfast."

Her eyebrows quirked at the comment, feeling no such praise or surprise. Itachi, buy Kisame breakfast simply because they were partners? Anyone with half a brain would know that was something never likely to happen. What Sakura really had expected from Itachi was them hunting for food or Kisame giving his own ration of money to spend it on whatever he liked, and if Sakura knew him like she thought she did from spending a few months with him, she knew it would be on sake. It would result in starvation, something Itachi couldn't and wouldn't sympathize or take mercy on.

"Hn."

She was still familiar with his grunts, and based on the tone of it, she knew it was Kisame's warning to shut up. But Kisame grinned again, the joy of food stronger than the fear he should and shouldn't be feeling.

Sakura wouldn't allow such a thing as Itachi attacking Kisame on the mission, however, Kisame was a fool for believing that her protection on a simple mission was enough to get him out of whatever the hell Itachi had for him once it was over. But she figured the fish man was used to it by now, and weighing his options, he decided irritating Itachi was worth to pain. That reason added to the list of reasons why they could get alone so well. Besides her long-lost, visible sense of humour, they drank, they insulted each other for the hell of it, and they shared the enjoyment of irritating Uchihas.

Yes, a perfect friendship.

"And an invitation to a club." Ami piped, kneeling down beside Sakura and quickly pulling away her ration of food.

Her inactive body tensed the group, sending off a warning for a possible outburst for her dislike of poor manners. But relief showered when her head lifted from studying the ground to the nothingness in the distance, blinking twice before she nodded in agreement.

"Hn." She rose with her own food, tilting her body to and fro before setting herself on the log she took the liberty or creating again. "We'll leave when he does."

The dean-pan voice, nude of passion or delight, caused to Ami glance up from her half-open box and stare at the back of her captain. As much as she hated the younger girl's being, her unpleasantness made things...well, unpleasant. "I liked you better when you were talking to him."

Kakashi's disappointed was released through a sigh while he sat on his log and sulked at the fact that _that_ was his line. But whether it was Ami who said it or him, didn't make it any less true. She was so much more pleasant and uplifting when she preformed, even if it was all fake. At least it would make the mission a little more soothing, knowing that she could possibly slice the tension in the group with a giggle and a sugar-sweet voice.

He wanted to go back four or five years and take himself out with a kunai for convincing himself to become a Jounin teacher. He was creating bonds with people, and wasn't that what he's been trying to avoid his whole life? _This_ added onto his list of reasons why bonds were horrid. Not only did they cause emotional and mental wounds, but you end up on a mission with S-class criminals and former students who have surpassed you by far. He'd prefer assassinating S-class criminals—it took less of a toll on his paranoia which was much easier than camping out and having breakfast, lunch, and dinner with them.

"So did he." She grunted, rolling her eyes although the back of her head prevented the girl from seeing. The only men Ami knew how to seduce were men whose ego stuck up their asses, and simple men like him were out of her league. Ami was useless in this event, leaving the whole seduction part of the mission to her—stirring the feel of horror within her that no else knew. "You were of no help."

A small thump from a the Styrofoam container and Kisame stopped the stuffing of his face. Something as great as food couldn't stand in his way of watching the best chick fights in history. Jesus, it was so entertaining watching them argue back four years ago—and something tells him much hasn't changed since then. In fact, it would probably be better now that Leader wasn't Ami's leader and he would prefer her dead over everything. Sakura could get away with anything now.

"Well, then why don't you just get him all by yourself?" She shouted, taking long strides to reach Sakura.

Effortlessly, Sakura's leg rose over the log and straddled it and her head tilted upwards to send the girl a very unamused look. "I just did." It was more of a growl than it was a simple statement, and she turned herself right back around.

"_Oh, we've been travelling for days and we're starving! _Now he thinks you're a pig." Her hands shot up as though cursing the heavens for Sakura's supposedly horrid success, and with her hands on her hips, she bent herself over and released a hot breath down her neck. "And he knows who you are!"

Sasuke's chopsticks halted for two seconds before they began tearing away at the contents of his package again. If they were in trouble, she would tell them, but then again she wouldn't since she did have a habit of hiding things, didn't she? He grunted to himself again, nearly stabbing a hole through the delicate container.

"That won't matter by tonight." Sakura managed between mouthfuls and she tilted her head as slightly, sending a spine shivering glare with her Sharigan as Itachi had done so many times that if Sakura hadn't had pink hair and the physic of a female, they may have mistaken her for him. "Hopefully you'll be more useful tonight than you were today."

The whole realm of seduction was added on her behalf, yet she failed to do her part and leave the dirty work to her captain. Useless. She was absolutely useless now that Sakura had managed to have him smitten instead of Ami.

Kakashi shook his head at Ami's persistence to irritate an already irritated Sakura. No good would come out of it this time—Sakura didn't have the need to hold back anymore. Her self-control and restraint was still as present as it had been four years ago, for she stopped and listened more, and stayed silent without a need to give her two cents. However, with nothing to hide from them, she also didn't need to hold back her demonstration of power. Before, Kakashi did most of the fighting and set his members in place in anyway he felt set to without being questioned, but Sakura held that position now.

Maybe she just loved to do it. Loved chucking styrofoam containers to the ground when it was still full with food. Though her previous attack was on her own container, which could be forgiven easily, but they weren't sure if it would be this time. They wouldn't interfere like they never did. It was always left to Leader to resolve the problem since Sakura was practically taboo. The unspoken rules were: don't say her name. Don't encourage her. Don't touch her. Don't talk to her. Though there were exceptions when she would initiate the conversation, then _don't upset her_ would apply. It's was hypocritical, looking back on it. Was it not Leader himself who sent her over the edge and got her "killed"? Living with that man was hell afterwards. Not only did he supposedly lose his "best friend" but they also a demon.

No, hell was probably better.

"Listen here you—" A gasp cut off her statement when the hand that had deliberately smacked away Sakura's food was grabbed fiercely and twisted. Her whole upper half fell towards Sakura with a quick tug, and Sakura's elbow met it halfway to send it up right. Before her head to completely tip back from the quick retaliation, Sakura's stiff hand connected with Ami's neck, sending her forward in and ending this game of ping-pong she was playing with her teammate's body.

"Sakura..." Kakashi sighed, reminding her of the line they all had to stand in—even her.

If anyone could get through to her, Kakashi could; they still stood in awkward positions of each other. He, who mattered, trusted her the least because of the power she stored and she knew overkill would eliminated the barely existent trust. Sharigan eyes faded to green within two seconds of glaring, and she grunted in reply to the warning that coated his voice.

"I'll wake her up when it's time to go. Don't worry."

But no one saw the worry that hide behind angry eyes.

* * *

The orange sun painted the plain blue sky red, yellow, and pink, but slightly above, there laid the colour of purple before it faded into the darker shades of night. Deep in the woods in a clearing, four men stood in waiting and watching while their two female members undressed behind the thin blanket that hooked itself to hang from the trees—shield thier eyes from the desirable flesh that laid beneath clothing.

"...and you knocked me out!" Another complain interrupted the throwing of clothes and rustling of bushes, as it had been since Sakura rose the sleeping girl. "What kind of captain knocks out their own teammate?"

Kisame chuckled and Kakashi joined in mentally. She was asking what kind of captain it made Sakura to knock out her own teammate, when the real question should be what kind of teammate knocks out their own captain. Captain only gave her more of a right to do so, when back when she merely stood at the position of a teammate, Sakura knocked out Kakashi on one occasion and Neji occasionally.

Insubordination; that's the reason why she was captain now. What kind of captain knocked out their own teammate? The kind of captain that earned the title as captain for knocking out their superiors, that was who.

"Hn." Sakura grunted, tossing over the clothing she discarded to shower the ground with black, black, and more black. Behind the curtain of blanket, she glared at Ami, shaking her head as she turned herself to where her new uniform hung. "Try pissing off Pein or Itachi, see what they would do."

Itachi's eyes flickered with knowledge; knowing the exact reason why she chose to mention him and his leader specifically when she could have easily chosen any other powerful man. From the sound of it, she had a taste of them in their "pissed off" state and his eyes narrowed in question at the said Uchiha. Try pissing Itachi off, she said, maybe he'll take her up on that offer.

But the question was, how do you piss off Uchiha Itachi when he stood as the most stoic person alive.

"They wouldn't knock me out like you did!" Followed another shower of black on the ground before her bare arms returned behind the curtains and her voice rose. "You fucking bitch."

For all any of the men knew, the rustling of the bushes could be them brawling on the ground in nothing but their underwear. Only Hidan would have the guts to tear down the blanket of annoyance, and man did Kisame wished that idiot was with them.

"Course not, they'd murder your ass." A bitter chuckled echoed through attentive ears, followed by the sound a fluid zip. "And not in the way that you would like."

A scream of ecstasy would be the last kind of scream that would ever come from her if she pissed off Itachi or Pein. Sakura was special with her previous friendships with them, but Ami was a mere slut who crossed them once too many times. Even then those friendship didn't get her so lucky when it came to their rage.

They studied the rippling movement of the blanket before it slid and leaned to one side of its holder. Sakura crawled over the bushes in a dress that was too small and too short. The sweetheart neck collar curved too generously into the canal of her breasts, and it sat a little under the curvature of her arse. In white, it could almost be deemed as an innocent little thing, but almost wasn't enough to cover how giving it was to hungry eyes—or skin for that matter.

Kakashi concluded that this mission wasn't as bad as he previously deemed it to be.

"I'm still changing." Ami shouted in the background, quickly pulling over the thin straps of her black dress to cover what the men only caught a glimpse of.

No, it wasn't bad at all.

"Not like you really care." Her chin pinned itself to her neck, as angry fingers fought with the red material that held strands of pink together. She glared at the sky as she pulled, in the end deciding it would be better to bend over and fight what she could see.

Lovely position it was.

In one hard pull, it snapped, allowing a curtain of pink to unravel and the red ribbon to flutter to the ground. With a quick straightening of her body, pink cascaded her shoulders and framed her face, nearly covering it to contrasting with her green eyes teasingly.

"Hold this for me?"

Gold, rimming green, reminded the four men that she was neither available or interested in anything they weren't truly trying to offer her. Needless to say, her fiancee was a lucky man. Sakura was strong, had a high position of authority, and her looks didn't hurt either. Something like being emotionless didn't compare to everything else that she was, but assuming that they had been together long enough to be engaged, something as small as that obviously didn't bother the man.

A quick once over of the men sent their gaze drifting somewhere else—all but Itachi whose eyes held an emotion even she couldn't pin point. The very idea of him wanting her wouldn't surprise her, but she knew the feeling would be nothing more than something physical. But even then lust wasn't it, and figuring out what it was was the least of her worries. It didn't matter, and nothing besides the mission really did at the moment.

Sasuke caught the long lasting exchange of looks between them. His eyes narrowed with the small anger he felt for both of them evenly, and his fist clenched as a result. Sakura had sided with Itachi, and even now, in his presence, she could still stare into his eyes without a care in the world. They had something and still did, which made her as worse as his brother in Sasuke's mental book.

But she turned from him. In embarrassment or disgust? Sasuke wanted to say shame.

"Hurry up if you want the Blockage preformed on you."

No, in business. She felt neither of those emotions from staring at such a disgusted man and although that was the case, Sasuke may have felt a little better if it was shame.

"What the hell is that?" Ami almost sounded interested, and it had only amazed them all when she sat when gestured to. Sakura's body kneeled between her open legs while rapid hand seals caused her hands to glow a light green. With neither of them commenting on how one's legs were open and openly allowing the other to touch one another, Kisame wasn't sure if he enjoyed the view or wanted to attack out of suspicion of impersonation.

"A cervical cap made of chakra." She explained. "That way, if he does it raw, you won't get pregnant."

Pink hair covered the side of her face. It looked soft and easily manipulated, but it provided Sakura with more benefits to counter out the fact that it was annoying to maintain or control. Had they seen her face, they may have noticed the way her face twisted at her last sentence. If he does it raw. No, he wouldn't be allowed to get anywhere close if Sakura had anything to do about it.

In fact, she had everything to do with it.

She came off too naive and easy that Ami wasn't something he was interested in, in fact, he didn't even care for her name now that she had a time to recall.

"What about you?"

Then the rage was back in Ami's voice, disappearing a little too long to anyone's comfort or surprise. A day when Ami and Sakura didn't fight was a day that one of them wasn't real or the world was coming to an end and they decided that they would love each other on their last day of living. But being fake was more realistic since if the day ever came when the earth would end, they would take that as an excuse to annihilate the other.

Ami glared at the back of her head, knowing well that she thought she was better than her enough to not need cervical cap. Throughout the years she lived, one thing she did not tolerate was being made to feel less than anyone else. If she really wanted to, she would own the entire world and nothing would stop her—especially nothing that had pink hair. Sakura's unequipped self of the cap would cause a demand for the removal of hers, no questions asked.

"I've had mine on for a while now." Sakura sighed, cooling her system of the annoyance that would fuel her anger.

"Right, you're engaged." She said lightly, curving her mouth into an 'O' and forgiving the fact that she allowed herself to be tied down.

But silence followed what should have been a nod or a happy memory. Sakura did nothing to demonstrate her acknowledgement for the statement and stared into the distance with hard eyes like it wasn't something to be proud of. And no, it wasn't something to be proud of in Ami's opinion. Being tied down to a single man only demonstrated what little feminine skill Sakura had when it came to alluring men. While she was off married to one man, Ami could have as many as she wanted. Who was powerful now? It was quite obvious.

Her fingers twitched with hesitation before she turned again, her eyes bringing them all to a stand as she motioned for the play of the plan. "Let's go. Sasuke and Kisame, start heading over."

"Right." Kisame chuckled, planting his hand firmly on the young man's shoulder as he guided him along. "C'mon little man."

He brewed it in his gut that Sasuke would knock his hand flying elsewhere, something his brother had done the first time he made the mistake of touching him. But a simple "Hn." was all he got after the young man turned his worried gaze from their captain.

* * *

Loud music and laughter filled the smoky air. The dim and exceptionally loud club stood on the curb of town while it rested in the late hours of the night. Arriving, Sakura's body twisted and turned to weave through unimportant men in search for a man she didn't really even want to see—but the sooner the better. Although just arriving, she felt as she had been there too long and the faster she finished this part and killed him, the sooner the butterflies in her stomach would settle.

The present anxiety was something unexperienced on assassination missions. Assassinating people was something she was trained and good at. Seduction, on the other hand, was something rarely done and something that had never reached as far as it has now. The hope she had on Ami's part died with the fire of lust that Souta lit for Sakura. She always had a problem of going into situations head first, and if time was taken to figure out the women he was most interested in, Ami would've been made to display his ideal girl while Sakura would be the complete opposite.

Making out his dark silhouette, slumped at the bar, her lungs deeply took in the air of cigarettes before she allowed herself to advance forward, and leaving the man who had been talking to her for quite some time behind. The tips of her fingers pressed against the cool counter, sending shivers down her spine and she navigated herself onto the bar stool carefully. Careful to stay out of his peripheral vision, her leg guided Ami's body to stand in between, separating her from a man she dreaded meeting again all day.

His eyes flickered with the closeness of Ami's body. She slid herself onto the stool and spun a 180, her back to the bartender and hungry eyes scanning the dance floor.

"Ah, I thought you wouldn't come." But the way his body straightened and leaned, Sakura could tell conversation was not directed to the person closest to him. Her inner thigh brushed over the other, crossing on knee over the other, her back arched and she forced another smile. An apologetic one if her mind could rack up what it supposedly looked like.

"Sorry we took so long."

The grazing of teeth across her bottom lip took his attention completely. His eyes wandered down to a pair of slightly damp flesh before they gave her whole body a once over. Lust glistened in his eyes as he smiled, dismissing something so little when compared to the big picture. "It's not a problem, can I get you ladies some drinks?"

An anonymous gust of wind washed over them lightly, yet it was given to be strong enough to turn her distracted partner all the way around. Brown eyes clashed with green for a moment before flickering to meet the anticipating. Pink tresses danced with her denial, and Sakura only smiled apologetically again for reasons no one else would be sorry for. "No, we're fine for now."

With a sip of the alcoholic drink everything would go bad and she wasn't willing to risk that just yet.

"So...What brings you to this small town?" His body leaned against the bar with disappointment and impatience, and his surroundings became the centre of his attention again. Ami glared at him for a quick moment before her back arched, making sure her assets would be of clear view.

"Didn't we say it was vacation?" She snapped anyways, knowing that this man stood in the way of others that were on the dance floor. He was as plain and confident as a rock, and even then she was positive she could have more fun doing it herself.

"Right..."

Sakura's bit her lip again, watching their poor interaction and cursing the girl over twenty times in her mind. As lovely as it would be for him to be with her, Ami wasn't worth the effort. He would leave before Sasuke and Kisame finished their part of the mission, proving them to be unreliable as teammates.

Failing a mission was something she refused to do. She hadn't back in her genin days and she still hadn't to this day. Allowing a horny bitch who only wanted to scout for men that she wanted during a mission they were on would only prove her to be an unsuccessful leader. And with this case to be presented to the men who thought lowly of her once, she wasn't about to allow such a foolish excuse to cover it up.

Princess of Snow, former Akatsuki member, and ANBU. Ami wasn't about to deem her unreliable and useless as Ami was herself. Although there was respect for the fact that she could cross Akatsuki the way that she did four years ago, something as easy as that wasn't about to let something like soiling Sakura's reputation off the hook.

"Ami-chan, it looks like someone's checking you out over there." She piped, leaning her body forward. Gripping the leather material, her arm swung and the stool spun. Green eyes peered at the face of an excited girl whose own flickered back and forth, searching for a face that didn't exist.

"Where?"

"Over...there!" An extension of her arm caused Ami to accelerate forward and into the crowd of people. Though the distance she managed to travel was self-caused by her own will to get away from their mission and find herself love for the night, Sakura admired how it only made her more appealing to the eyes of the target. "Sorry about her. She's been a little cranky because we couldn't find a spa."

Bashfully, she shifted herself over to the seat she made sure Ami would occupy. Only earlier had she destroyed their breakfast over the fact that Sakura had deemed her useless, and now it appeared as though that didn't matter anymore. What laid at hand was how was she going to keep him here long enough for Sasuke and Kisame to raid his house, and how was she going to kill him in the state she knew she was going to be put in once she drank the drinks he would order.

Denying them the whole night through was an option very delicious, but taking the bitterness of alcohol was much more preferred if it meant they would leave together and she could get him alone. If things got out of hand, she had back-up, and she knew that whether she liked the idea or not, her well being depended on them.

Out of memory she could flirt. With the many times Karin dragged her from the comfort of her bed to get dress and socialize with the gang when they drank, her uninterested state left her mind and eyes to wander around the room. Listening to others try to pick up lovers was much more interesting than listening to a friends who wanted her there just to be there—she never talked. With an absence of a year with nothing to share, she had nothing to say and no energy to try. But a moment like this thanked her that she didn't.

"It's no problem, it's you I'm interested in anyways." The distance between them shorten, leaving enough room to breathe for their breathes not to mingle. Her eyes lowered to his lips before flickering back up with raised eyebrows.

"Oh..." She whispered, just as her leg brushed again his. Her teeth grazed over her bottom lips once more before she turned herself away in what she knew he would believe to be embarrassment.

Embarrassment? Ha. The only memory she had of the very last time embarrassment overcame her was during her stay with Akatsuki when Pein walked in on her bathing. What a stupid man.

All men where stupid.

"Where are you staying?" Sakura's eye flickered back to him, noting a small, teeth revealing smirk that found its way to his lips. She smiled in return and stared down, grabbing hold of a strand of her hair and twirling it carefully.

"Well, I can't tell you that." Her other hand rose to cover her lips, demonstrating an uncertainty that he liked. She was warming up to him that she debated with herself whether or not to turn her back on what she lived by.

They're so easy.

She grinned at him and turned away again, staring bashfully at the crowd with the knowledge that her near disobedience and choice to almost trust him created a bond that would last until the end of their mission. He was her's until death did them part.

"Well, I bet you it isn't as nice as where I'm staying."

A simple pressing of his hands on her waist caused an authentic jerk. But the hand she familiarize herself with didn't budge and the waist he favour was used as a hold to bring him forward. Hot air mixed in the small distance between them again, and her body tilted backwards for him to view the uncertainty and worry that laid behind her eyes as another smile forced its way on her face.

"Aha, Souta-san. We just met." With five words, breathing space was available to her. His sat upright in his chair and so did she, preparing herself for his departure based on her rejection. Plan B would be scream "fuck it" and pull him down for a kiss where he would take her home and she would manoeuvre herself for Kisame and Sasuke to not be seen. The plan appeared easy enough.

"I'm sorry, where are my manners?" He laughed. "Would you like something to drink?"

Pondering the idea, she weighed her options. Say no to feed his frustrations, or say yes and feed his hope. Either way they were going home, and mercy would most likely be granted to her if she set his mood right. Getting a drink in her was his desired goal since the beginning, and if it was some thing she was good at it was putting a plan in action—be it his or hers.

"Oh yes, that'd be lovely." She chirped, smiling at him with clasped hands. As skilled as she believed herself to be and as skilled as many believed herself to be, handling this alone would be next to impossible especially when all control was beyond her conscious state. "I'll be right back."

She _wanted _back-up.

"Taking care of Ami-san?" He laughed, ordering them both a drink unknown to her ears. Sake was all she drank at home and nothing more. Whatever fancy drink everyone else drank was their problem, but sticking to what she knew simply made things easier. Less was to be expected and less was needed to prepare. How much she could hold was something of no need for pondering as it rose a bit each time though she chose not to push it.

"Yeah, she gets herself into so much trouble." Her eyes rolled and she smiled, her body slipping through the crowd and down the hallway to the bathrooms.

The clacking of heels echoed down dimly lit hall, something quite unusual for her, but something necessary to display. Halting in her footing, the only thing heard was the distant beat of a song she swore she knew, and with one quick turn, she surveyed her surroundings and disappeared behind wooden doors.

In the small space, they stood closer than they ever had in years. Legs brushed together and objects tumbled over in the dark. The string of light was long forgotten in the darkness, and the use of chakra was the preferred route over searching aimlessly in the dark. The practice she had for keeping a steady heartbeat and a straight face had nothing to do with her stoic emotion. Other things were more important than standing in a broom closet with Uchiha Itachi. The lining of the mop in the poorly lit room was much more fascinating than directly staring at him. Staring at his face would only cause confusion to flood through her like a broken dam, and finding out the demon way would be a display of an invasion of privacy and trust. Trust—they needed that.

"Ami's gone." Her statement left no surprises, and turning to Itachi his eyes closed and he nodded.

"Hn."

Though small and tight, leaning against the wall at the angle that she did would cause her body to crumble to the ground if her footing gave way. Raising a leg, it rested at the side of Itachi's knees. Her head turned from the old mop to take in the fact that his eyes flickered to her risen leg before up at her in question. Her foot tapped against the dry wall, causing pieces to crumble as she debated on her next statement.

Was she really going to do through with what could only end up disastrous?

She sighed heavily and Itachi's eyebrow rose. Staring at him, her lips pursed in a slight pout while she thought, but lowing her gaze she finally spoke."He's going to drug my drink."

A response was something that never came. Staring at his pants, she figured her wouldn't give a reply or a question. In the dim light, he was almost threatening. Like he was the man who was going to take her home and do what any man would do. Trusting him would be the last thing she would do if that were the case, and staying in here as long as she did would have never happened. But in reality, it was safer in here than it was out there and frustration overtook the fear that should have been in place.

Was it really safer in here than it was with a man who knew very little about being a shinobi?

"I'm going to drink it." She finished, glancing up to she his eyebrows furrowed. Though his eyes were closed, Sakura understood his thought of her stupidity and lack of concern for her health. As skilled as any shinobi may be, they stood better drunk than they did drugged, and even she couldn't escape that reality. But it wasn't expressed verbally, though she preferred that it wasn't. The only thing that ever came out of "Are yous sure?" and "You can't do that" was annoyance.

"If Sasuke and Kisame don't have what we're looking for by the time he takes me home, give me until they do." She continued, her voice firmer this time with the mission fully in mind and her well being out the window. "If they do have it, give me two minutes."

"Hn."

Unable to be identified by anyone else, she noted the strained in his grunt. The foot that planted itself against the dry wall, now concrete, lowered and slightly brushed over the material of his pants. The turning of her handle stirred that butterflies in her stomach once more, and she turned to him, sending one last troubled look before stating an "I'll be fine." that she couldn't completely say was to sooth the none existent worry of her partner instead of her.

The beating of the music collided with the silence. It echoed over and rumbled in her ear as she found her way back to Souta to comply to his every will.

"Couldn't find her?" He smiled, turning himself towards her and popping her personal bubble. With the intimacy much more extreme than with her and Itachi, she oddly felt colder than she had been in the small room with him, trapped in their body heat and broken relationship.

"No, she may have went home with someone." She shrugged, staring at the golden contents of the glass and debating which one would be hers. The one of the right, most likely, it had a tad bit more. She smiled as eye contact was made and leaned in to overpower the beating bass. "She can take care of herself, so I'll look for her tomorrow morning."

He nodded like it was a good idea, when it reality it was a perfect idea. Curious eyes watched as his two fingers engulfed the glass on the right and held it towards her. She still cursed her corrective self. "Here's your drink."

Carefully, almost wishing she could spill it, her own fingers held the glass gingerly as though it would break. A smile was harder to force out this time and she stared into the glass that would send her spiralling down a path she didn't wish to take. But it was for the village; for the alliance and the safety of all of Konoha, Suna, and Snow, and its people. One person compared to an entire village, wasn't that what she believed it?

"Thanks." She muttered, downing the glass in one go while a pair of eyes studied her and the distress behind her impulse. Downing half the glass could've done her some good, but out of her own fear she drank it whole. She hadn't changed much, unlike what everyone believed.

Fight or flight was always her answer, and when she wasn't given those options she became submissive. It was no new tale: she was the exact same girl who endure every beating because fighting back wasn't an option and allowing others pain wasn't either.

* * *

Clumsy footing caused her to trip left and right. Her body leaned against his for support as they walked down the street in the cool night. The moon reflected over her dazed features as she allowed him to lead her to warmth. It was much colder since the last time she was outside, and that didn't feel so long ago. Though her body swayed inconveniently, he didn't grow any more frustrated than he had when they left. Even with her ways maneuverings herself out of his hold and landing in bushes, he was much more patient.

In fact, he hadn't said anything since they left, or if he had she hadn't heard him. Deciding their journey back was long enough as it is, she forced herself to follow him willingly and take back all the stumbling and falling into bushes and declaring she couldn't go on any more.

Arriving on the doorstep of his home, her body twisted to shield the door as her eyes stared at his face. With the keys still held between his fingers, he stared down at his companion in question. Sakura giggled to herself, looking away with redden cheeks before her legs brushed the back of his thigh and pulled him forward.

"Souta-san..." She sighed, her fingers rubbing the soft skin of his neck while her head leaned back to keep the space between them consistent. But door had held her in place and her lips, untouched by anything but alcohol, were finally kissed by his.

It was soft to begin with before the confidence he had none without rophenol kicked in, and Sakura found herself lifted from the ground with both legs straddling his hips. Instantly, her arms went around his neck for support, and she inwardly smirk at the dropping of his keys. The triumph was short lived, cut off by priding fingers and a curious tongue.

Her free leg barely grazed the ground, but with his whole body forced onto her, she didn't need to be stand up-right. The concentration she had before was diminishing as she stood there, feeling helpless and confused, practically at his mercy. The palm of her hand pressed against his chest, wishing she could smack it, wishing she could push him off. With her kunai forgotten, killing him was a bit more difficult, and even attempting to wasn't an option until Sasuke and Kisame left.

"St-Sto-op." She breathed, feeling the way his thumb lazily drew circles on her flesh, resting dangerous close to where her legs parted. Only when he kissed her bruising hard did his skin brush against the material that separated them. Instinctively, her body jerked back, moving her lower self away while her face pressed harder against his chest

Outside, there wasn't much she could do; killing him could be witness by the eyes of whom she could no longer see. Everything was getting blurry and her breathing had shortened with the touches of his fingers and the feel of his tongue. Her senses were failing her and with all concentration lost, she couldn't sense any chakra but those of the untrained. Wild things they were, they were driving her crazy.

She didn't trust herself to kill him now, not when she couldn't see two feet in front of her. No longer a missing-nin, all murders would be traced back to the village and that wasn't something the village needed. If it was a simple hit and run, a messy one at that, gangs and robbers would've done the trick with medium pay. But Konoha wanted to keep this on the down-low since the scroll they were searching for wasn't for them directly.

Souta chuckled, enjoying the way she leaned so limply in his hold like a rag doll. But that's how he liked them; weak and unable to fight back. A shinobi such as herself was no match to the rophenol he poured into her drink while she was away—how foolish of her to leave.

Releasing a hold of her body, he allowed her to slump back and himself to fully trap her underneath. But as soon as his hands left, they were back, and grabbing her by her thighs, his leg extended forward and kicked the door down. The banging of the knob bouncing off the walls brought what little sense Sakura had back. The instant he maneuvered his leg to shut the door, her arms wrapped around his head and her lips crashed down onto his crushingly to block his sight for Sasuke and Kisame—if they were still in the house, she wasn't sure anymore.

The hands that held her up lifted to her back, tugging at the ever annoying zipper and allowing a shot of cold to kiss her back. Twirling around, Sakura's back arched at the impact the door had. The way he practically threw her into it, her body ached all over, but the way his lips were on her the skin that came with the lowering of her dress left her very little time to nurture it.

His hand moved upwards from its place on her thigh, tugging at the material that wrapped her waist before his hand slid downwards on bare, hardly dampen flesh. Maybe he should've added an afrodisiac to that drink. His hand gripped her fighting hands, holding it above her head as he watched the way her legs brushed against each other in ways to try to force his hand out.

"So-Souta." She whimpered, tilting her head away as his lips went to silence her.

There was a chance that he hadn't put enough in her drink, fearing that her shinobi instincts would catch him before he even acted. The bottle had proven to not be enough for her, seeing the way she managed to resist against him. But that wouldn't be enough to stop him. As much of a shinobi as she may be, her body was human. And as little as he had poured into the glass, the effects of it would still take a toll on her. The way she struggled against him was amusing— feisty little thing.

"Souta, stop!" His hand entered her this time, but stilled at her sudden surge of power. Skin against skin, he toppled back and onto the ground. Sakura who body had dropped to the ground by the time his vision focused, but that wasn't the only thing he noticed.

A dark shadow pooled around them, shielding his flatten form and half of Sakura's. Whoever blocked the light, he stood behind Souta, and he had made the mistake of thinking Sakura's protest was her way of warning him—making his second mistake disabling her to fight.

"...the hell?" He turned to meet the dark silhouette with angry red eyes, and in that exact moment, where everything went silent, everything turned black.

His body bloodied body toppled on the floor and with what sounded like slim, he landed in his own blood. Stepping over him, Itachi moved closer to the victim whose panting filled the heavy room with desperation. Looking down at her face, he took in the way the light reflected off the moisture that trickled down her cheeks. Lost in her mind, her empty eyes stared at the man in front of her, while both hands pressed down at the dress between her legs, shielding herself too late.

The uncovered chest, protected by only a strapless, black bra, rose and lowered quickly. With only a warning of a cough, her body bent forward and the tears started a pool around her face. Her silent tears her been filled with sniffling and shallow breathing, uncaring of red eyes or where she sat and stood.

"Sakura." He called firmly, standing for a reply but left with none. With the second call of her name, his body lowered to touch her shoulder, receiving an attack that was only half-expected, but easily dodged.

"Stop touching me!" Her shriek echoed through the household and stirred the atmosphere outside.

Cool, red eyes flickered from the bewildered green eyes of the girl and to the window beside him, deciding an option that could be taken as insubordination—but was he not second in command?

When the night had started, when Souta had busted through the doors of his home, three pair eyes were present to see. But when the night had ended, when Souta's home burst into flames, only one pair of eyes remained.

"Hey, princess! We..." Turning to the rustle in the bushes, Kisame stopped the gloating.

Her hair clung to the dampen skin of her face and the look in his eyes held such intense anger and grief that he feared speaking to her would be the last thing he ever did. The clothing Kisame enjoyed viewing her in landed on the ground without care, and Itachi all but coolly walked passed them with their unconscious captain in his arms, wearing his shirt. Sasuke eyes narrowed in question before deciding it was better to accuse Sakura than it was his brother. She was more likely to talk, and no doubt holding a conversation with Itachi was next to impossible without attempting to kill him.

Setting her next to Kakashi, he withdrew himself to stand on the other side of her sensei with his hands in his pockets. All eyes rested on her weakest state, and while the silence took it place in creating a suffocating atmosphere, Kakashi took the liberty in filling it.

"What happened to Sakura?" More than concern filled his angry voice, and the way he glared at Itachi held accusation.

Trust was what they needed and this team had none of it. The only people they trusted were on their own parties, but even then that trust was barely alive. Kakashi didn't trust Sakura like Sasuke didn't trust Ami like how none of the Akatsuki trusted each other, yet they were forced to take a week long mission together. However, who they trusted least were members from other parties and the last thing that would come to mind when seeing an half-dressed Uchiha Itachi carrying an unconscious Haruno Sakura—who's wearing his shirt for having been stripped of her own clothing—is that he saved her.

It was either knock her out and carry her to safety, or let the civilians of the village find them out. The way his home had combusted bodies would not left behind and for all anyone who saw Souta leave with Sakura knew, she died in that fire as well.

Deciding it wasn't of his interest to explain, he stared at Sakura's curled up form and the way it shook in its arousal. Prompting herself onto her knees, green eyes stared at the scenery in wonderment while tears continued to spill from the sockets of her eyes. Instantly, both fisted hands went in between barely covered legs, pushing the material of Itachi's shirt down to shield the unwillingly touched cavern between.

Her shoulders shook and her face crumbled, taking her body to the ground and she wept to the earths surface.

Kakashi's hand shot forward, muttering the captain's name with anguish before a very stern "don't touch her" from second in command stopped him. Two pair of eyes of the male Team Seven members turned to glare at the eldest Uchiha, both unreturned because his eyes were still set on Sakura. Her sobbing had turned into quiet sniffles, and she finally rose herself into a sitting position with the sleeve of Itachi's shirt covering her hand to be used as a napkin to wipe her still falling tears.

Without a word of acknowledgement of her surroundings or change of clothes, she erected herself and made a beeline for her pack. Ignoring the fact that she was overcame with more emotion than he had seen of her since his return, Sasuke was prepared to asked what _exactly_ happened on their part of the mission. But with all her belongings scattered on the ground and a nicotine rolled up in paper held together in a pack, Sasuke watched as she prepared to destroy herself. Opening the pack, few were already missing, and denying what he knew she was about to do kept him from acting just yet. Turning to his brother, a man who he deemed responsible for all this, he watched as Itachi made his first reaction of the night by narrowing his eyes.

The cigarette sat between her lips and with the pressing of her index finger onto the end of it, a musty smell mixed with campfire. Her shoulder rose and dropped with the instant relief, the smoke being skillfully inhaled and exhaled left so many questions unanswered—along with the fact that she owned a pack. She was killing herself, and although he could care less if the lazy, genius like Shikamaru did it, Sakura was no Shikamaru.

"What do you think you're doing?" His hand engulfed her small wrist, making sure to grab hold of it once the cigarette was out of her, and turned her to notice his glare. What was she doing, smoking a cigarette? Exposing herself to cancer and everything that came with the side effects. The life they lived as a shinobi was hard and life threatening as it was, but it was as though she had a death wish.

"Don't fucking touch me!" Her voice cracked.

Her legs shot forward, sending Sasuke crumbling to his knees with one blow to the crotch. The cigarette in her hand was replaced with a sharpen kunai, but with it aimed directly at Sasuke's neck, had Itachi not grabbed her by the wrist she may had killed him. His other hand rested on her shoulder and with enough pressure, the kunai dropped to land beside the forgotten cigarette under his foot.

"Don't—"

"Calm down." Itachi warned, grabbing the hand that came to his face just in time to prevent what would've been a broken jaw.

Helping Sasuke to his feet, Kisame found the events amusing on Sasuke's behalf. If Sakura could kick as hard as she punched than Sasuke could say bye-bye to restoring that clan of his. It was better to let Itachi handle her than anyone else. The old man who sat glaring in the corner could control her as well as a sheep controlled their Shepard. But they all knew that from their first encounter and how he nearly failed to keep the two younger boys under control, and lost her to Itachi.

With one leg trapped between Itachi's thighs and both hands unable to pull from his grip, all she could do was tug even harder. "Stop!"

"Sakura." His voice rose this time, and Kisame couldn't decide if Sakura in Neko mode was scarier. "Calm down."

The screaming ended with that sentence and all was heard was heavy breathing and the flickering of the fire. Wild eyes had transformed into eyes full of fear and astonishment before Sakura turned from him and tugged her leg free. But his refusal to let her wrist go caused her to turn back around, and this time her gaze was pleading while he allowed her to pull her wrist close to her chest.

"Let me go, Itachi." She whispered, tugging at her arms again only to be pulled closer. Sasuke rose with closing of their space, but Kakashi's hand kept him back. Sensei vs. Student, Kakashi and Sasuke glared at each while Sakura fought against Itachi for her freedom.

"I..." But she lost, only falling into him while freeing her hands allowed them to travel around him and claw at his back. His hand rose to pat the back of her head, letting her tears to kiss his skin and the feel of protection to consume her. "I didn't know what to do."

Four years and one Uchiha didn't recognize her while the other saw her no different.

* * *

**Writing when I should be studying, as always. Are you guys happy with this chapter? I don't feel like I did such a great job, but I'm not sure exactly _how _to fix it yet, but at the same time I didn't want to withhold it until I did. I may come back to edit it later, but until then, I hope it was alright.**

***Fixed and satisfied. A few things changed and I threw some ItaSaku in there. Wink wink. And where is Ami you may ask? Well, she got herself lucky and was out for the night. **

** I don't own Naruto or any of its original characters.**

**xoxo**


	11. Meeting the Fiancee

**Chapter Twelve: Meeting the Fiancee**

* * *

The people busied in the streets of Konoha, working away to a warm day in May. But absent from the crowd was Haruno Sakura, who laid asleep in the hospital bed. In a room that was one always withheld on her behalf, seeing that it was nearly impossible for her to return conscious or unwounded, her ears were deaf to the shouting of civilians and children.

The sun managed to dance through the curtains, filling the room with flicks of white light that would flash past her eyelids. Without even feeling the restraints, her body shifted to face the opposite direction, pulling down with her the wires and machinery that noted the nurses of her conscious state.

With only half the energy to wake, she didn't bother even attempt fix the damage she caused half-consciously. To her, they were annoying banging and noises disturbing her of the rest her body died for, and not her destruction of public property. But the tugging at her arm had been her punishment, and although she attempted to push the uncomfortable feeling aside, the way the wires pulled at her arm caused her to sit up and remove them from her body.

Inconveniently, her visitors came to catch her in the act. But instead of stopping herself or sleekly hide her actions, she continued to pick at the tape that held the needle in place. It was the same problem every single time, yet no one tried to replace the useless curtains that hung around the window which directly faced the sun. This was her hell, and although she sometimes worked at the hospital, she hated the place when she wasn't working.

_Hospital._

She paused, lifting her head to stare out the window at the village she knew so well. She racked her brain in realization, recalling her last conscious memory being deep within a forest miles and miles north of Konoha which would've taken one full day to return from. The hair that formed her brow knit in concentration, doing her best to reply the events that happened the morning she woken up and told them all to pack up for the long trip back to Konoha.

"You're awake!" She turned from the finger that tore at the tape and to the red headed girl who threw herself onto her bed. "I thought you died on me!"

Every single time it was like this, but the only difference was she remembered _how_ she got herself into this mess. Were they attacked on their way back? She couldn't recalled. The headache and nauseating feeling she had that morning left very little to remember.

"How..." She whispered, turning her gaze from the girl who toppled over the lower half of her body to her former sensei.

Without a feel of embarrassment or shame for the nights earlier, she managed to stare directly at him without anxiety. A quick once over with eyes empty and hard left Kakashi with no choice but to answer—the Hokage and her guardian in the room made the situation no less difficult.

Playing things off as though it never happened, Sakura was good at that. Too good, he must say, and with that he could not overlook or underestimate what happened the night she broke down crying with the only man able to comfort her being Uchiha Itachi. Attacking Sasuke and nearly killing him, the only person able to pull her out of her crazy mindset was him.

"Itachi carried you back." Four years and their relationship still lingered, and being out of commission as she had been since that night that tension within the group only doubled. "You passed out on the way home."

The way her eyes flickered to and fro to study his face left him feeling a bit queasy. Like for once in their lives Sakura was acknowledging distrust in their relationship and was searching him for anything that would allow her to attack. But then her eyes lowered, inhaling sharply as she finally pieced together how she managed to throw herself into the hospital once again.

For once she believed she would return from a mission where a hospital wasn't required, but apparently even on the simplest of missions it wasn't made possible. Her body had weak all morning, and although she composed herself enough to take the role as their captain, her physical weakness had gotten to her and she began losing balance, toppling over, and stopping to cough out blood. By the time she lost her footing for the fifth time, she hadn't the energy to compose herself. The speed that Sasuke shot at was no match to Itachi's who, in the end, caught her falling body and took his role as captain once again.

Finding the energy within them, their suspicion on his half filled the air while travelling at double the speed on his order. Ami had been thrown over Kisame's shoulder, on Itachi's order once again. To be the last person close to her, and a renowned criminal who once kidnapped her, her sudden illness could only be suspected as one of his plans to steal her away again. Yet reluctantly they followed him—the pink bundled in his arms pushing them to keep on going.

"Poison." Tsunade stated, holding up her clip board like anyone else in the room understood what the small checks and code words meant.

Looking up at Sakura, Tsunade found that her gaze was somewhere else—somewhere beyond the window frame and the gates of Konoha and through the blinding sun. Although said energy and source of life did get on her nerves, their choice of rooming ensured that they knew when Sakura recovered and was awake. The tugging at machinery in anyway possible to get away from the blinding light left her predictable, making her attempts to escaped a little less surprising.

"He got poison and Royphnol mixed up." Sakura grunted, understanding exactly why she hadn't felt its effects the night he touched her. It pushed her acting to play the part of a drunken girl and she didn't know whether she felt gratitude for his stupidity or hate for the fact that she was left to remember everything.

For as long as she lived she will never again take up another seduction mission. No matter the cost or the problem, her only answer to those request would be assignation. The idea of another man touching her...she couldn't bare it. She couldn't stand it and her reaction was only proof of how mentally unstable it was for her. As much as she tried to fool herself from this idea, she hoped one of them included that part in their mission report; reporting on how she needed to be saved—even if it was by Itachi.

"Well, your body should be clear of the poison by now."

_Now...by now..._

The point in time that they stood sounded so distant from where they were the night of the mission. The emphasis in it only made her question the date. The small amount of poison shouldn't have left her unconscious for too long and thinking about the time lost only frustrated her—she was a girl with very little time to spar.

"How long have I been out?"

"Two days." Tsunade sang, like time wasn't ticking away at their lives while they spoke. Her condition in bed couldn't have been more than maybe a couple of hours, meaning her choice of awakening would've been the exact time they would've arrived at the village had she been leading. Sometimes the sun was good to her and she visibly relaxed against the pillow.

Her eyes fluttered closed for a brief moment before opening to stare at the three people who stood before her. Two trusted her out of the needs of their hearts, while the other questioned her out of the experience of their past. She couldn't say which party she agreed more, settling that they were both rights on their own grounds which left her with more to protect than needed.

Sakura had never looked so tired in Tsunade's lifetime, and even with her stoic and deadly expression, the work was beginning to show. Small bags under her eyes and heavy eyelids; this would be the last of her missions for a while.

"C'mon." Tsunade irked, turning the head of the girl who rested comfortably in Sakura's lap and the careful man who stood off in the corner. "She still needs rest."

Rising to leave, a quick pull of her wrist demanded her to stay. And while Kakashi and Tsunade made their exit out of the room, Karin lowered back to Sakura's level and waited for her explanation that required her involvement. Very little was needed to be said to be understood between the two, but being with Sakura for as long as she has, no one could question how they worked so well together.

It was understandable that Sakura could understand anyone with one look in the eye, but to understand Sakura the way Karin did, only a handful of people in the world could.

"I have 'til tomorrow night." She muttered, and with that the hold was released.

Karin straightened and left without another word, knowing that those words meant it was time to pack up and leave.

* * *

Arriving back at the village was dreadful process and not only did it warn Sasuke out completely, how stable his brother still stood showed him how great of a difference they stood in light of one another. _Double pace_, Itachi had said, pushing a two day journey into one the moment he took hold of Sakura from him. So limp and weak, it scared the hell out of him how vulnerable she looked in Itachi's arms, and Sasuke swore to himself—alliance or not—the moment his brother crossed them was the moment he would kill him despite the circumstances.

However, that wasn't what was dreading him the most. His brother slept within the main house with all his _roommates_ while he was stuck in out here, in the smaller houses to ponder the fact that he was being mocked. Mocked for not even being allowed to sleep in a house he lived in most of his life and mocked for not being able to kill a man who slept within a mile of him.

This alliance was a hell of a lot more than it was worth.

"Dobe." Sasuke sneered, glaring at the way his eyes shone with such anticipation and innocence while he was left to suffer within his own compound. Sasuke looked past the beading blue eyes and noted the way the gates creaked while swinging back and fro, practically broken, and the decent of the corner of his mouth decended lower. "You can't just barge in here whenever you want."

And his eyes continued to flicker back and forth between his friend, the gate, and the doors of the main house. He readied himself to grab Naruto and run if he saw one of their ugly faces peaking out.

"Lighten up, teme!" The blonde grunted, punching him in the shoulder with he grinned containing all the innocence of the world. "I came here to visit you!"

Visit him, he says, just to visit him. Something as stupid as that didn't compare to how big the main point was here. Coming to visit him could've been the last thing the dobe would ever do when _all _twelve of Akatsuki were standing metres behind him. Whatever little luck he had with escaping the men wouldn't even exist within these scenarios. Fighting against two Akatsuki does not compare to twelve, especially when it was obvious he still could not kill his brother when comparing strength.

"Have you forgotten that Akatsuki are less than twenty metres away from us?" Sasuke barked, demonstrating the severity of the situation with the red in his eyes. Naruto was the same old boy sasuke left four years ago; still charging into situations head on without thinking of the consequences of his actions. How is it that he was still alive, only the lord knows. How was it Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi were still alive he would call that luck.

But Naruto just laughed, waving off the dramatic exclamation by an always dramatic and moody Sasuke. What was he worrying about now that he was within the wall of Konoha? Nothing, inside you don't worry about anything.

"Bah, you worry too much. They won't do anything now and Sakura-chan would kick their asses if they tried." Naruto exclaimed, holding his fist up to demonstrate exactly how she would kick their asses when the slight burning sensation Sasuke got when he peed reminded him perfectly well enough. She kicked balls for that matter, Naruto had the wrong private part going for him. "Which reminds me, Sakura-chan wants to have lunch with us and she's not taking no for an answer."

Lunch? After everything, she wanted to have lunch? How was she going to play off kicking him in the balls and finding comfort in his brother so easily when she knew exactly how he felt about it? Not to mention the fact that she had implied on taking Itachi's side of the murder for not believing the idea was completely, one-hundred percent wrong. Forgiving her for those three things wouldn't come as easy as how he forgave her for ruining his favourite shirt six years ago.

"And if I say no." He challenged, cocking an eyebrow when he already knew and felt the answer.

A childlike giggle caused his eyes to squint and his shoulders to shake. Man, was teme really a teme for even thinking something like that was passable, even for his standing in her life.

"I don't think you want her to come here, teme. Hyuga made that mistake once and he ended up in the same place he did last week." Thumb gabbing in the general direction of the hospital, something in Sasuke's mind told him she would do more than bust his balls with another swift kick. And by how she arrived late to their mission a week ago, that alone told him that the dobe wasn't shitting around with him again this time. Sighing in submission, he allows his hyperactive friend to loop and arm over his neck and drag him out the door. "C'mon you moody grump! To lunch with Sakura-chan!"

"Hn."

Finally releasing the hold on his neck, Naruto's excitement bounced him as he walked down the streets. A grin that could blind the sun displayed his feelings for Sakura's sudden burst of socialization and from time to time he would laugh to himself. If bringing Sasuke back got her this way, he wouldn't have returned until he got the teme. In the cover of the night when the weather was right, they went out hunting for bases. But suddenly she stopped all pursuits and now he knew why.

"She invited everyone!" He all by screamed to the heavens, startling a mother walking her child to the grocery store who instinctively held the young one close. "It's like the time when she got out of jail and Ryuu-san threw her a dinner party, but I guess this is more for you."

Blabbering was what Naruto was good at and sometimes it did him good. Dark eyes flickered from the boy who still walked the same as he had when they were children—with hands behinds his head—and to the road that laid ahead of them.

_Like the time she got out of jail..._

That must've been only three years ago. And although they found her body a couple of months after running into them in Snow and travelled for a year, that couldn't have made her the person she was right now. Stoic, annoyed, and sometimes hysterical. With so little time left for Akatsuki to damage her, the result wouldn't come out this severe, would it?

"Was she like this before?" Sasuke muttered, turning to meet the same face Naruto always worn; puzzlement.

"Hm?"

"When she got back?"

It clicked inside him, pulling everything relevant to this point into his mind. The party and Sakura's imprisonment when she got back, Sasuke did care for her enough to ask which was saying something for a boy who gave up his life was something as stupid as revenge.

Naruto will never understand it—this revenge thing. Sure he had been angry here and there and attacked because of it, but to hold a grudge for as long as Sasuke did...well, maybe he hadn't lost anything important enough to dedicate his life to avenging. And god forbid that he would.

Losing Sakura was enough to get that anger going and when seeing Akatsuki's face, he wanted to pummel them until they were nothing but dust. But to hold onto that every single day, he couldn't do it. He couldn't live if he did. As much as he hated the way Sakura turned out, killing all of the Akatsuki wouldn't bring her back like how he knew killing Itachi wouldn't bring Sasuke peace or love.

Naruto sighed, hazy eyes staring up at the clouds as his pace noticeable slowed with the weight gained on his heart.

"Yeah. She didn't talk to anyone who visited her in jail and we didn't see her for a week or two after they took her in for interrogation." Always anxious and impatient. But he could name you off the times which he felt that way the most: facing Zabuza, hunting down Sasuke, and waiting for Sakura's conviction. He refused, _refused_, to continue training with Jiraiya until he saw her face and knew she wasn't in harms ways anymore. It really had been Tsunade's mistake for sending him that letter, but he wasn't sure if his little heart could handle a surprise.

"Even after she was released, she didn't talk to anyone unless you were the Hokage or demanded something from her."

The only thing filling his thoughts was _when Sakura got out, it could be like old times again, _except the absence of Sasuke but he figured they'd get him back together, eventually. But what emerged from the cell left the Sakura he knew behind and from the way she ignored him the first few attempts sent him charging at Ibiki and all of Konoha, blaming them for it. If Kakashi hadn't stopped him and told him that she was like that the day she returned, Konoha may have crumbled with all of Sakura's dreams, aspirations, and emotions.

"She only really talked to Karin besides that and a bit to Ryuu, but they were one to two word replies." In place of a flower stood a zombie, dead on the inside and controlled by outside conditions. She was stick skinny and barely ate, doing nothing but laying in bed all day and coming and going for missions. "Man, I wanted to hunt Akatsuki down and just...man, it just sucked."

They were just lucky they didn't come after him during those times, he believed. He was so crazy he even dared them to come after him. Bring it on, he declared, those goddamn cowards.

"But Shikamaru said she talked to him a bit more when they shared a cigarette together. I don't like that, but he says she heals them both after they finish smoking so no harm is really done."

It was a bittersweet laugh, full of the confusion of whether to hate her self-destruction or rejoice in her ability to renewal herself. Seeing the back of her head that day, facing Shikamaru and doing what looked like a long, juicy conversation, a pang of hope tugged at his chest. But calling out her name, the only thing that replaced that feeling was the same deadness in her eyes and lungs full of smoke. And only when he freaked out at Shikamaru for shoving the bad habit onto her did she finally speak more than a couple of words to him, announcing that she smoked long before Asume died for Shikamaru to begin. Really, long before she even returned to Konoha, starting at the rip age of thirteen. Even with Shikamaru's life spared, the lazy bum didn't bathe in that glory.

"He said the longest thing she ever said to him was that she was sorry and the man who killed Asuma was actually a real big, fucking idiot and if he wanted to torture the shit out of him then she would help him. But he had to bring her with him or else he'd die trying." There was something like a laugh there, strangled and hurt with only hints of joy in the darkest spot of it.

Sasuke glanced over at his heart aching friend and took in the way that all he ever longed for was their past. When Sakura had been happy, Sasuke had been friendly, and this big mess didn't exist just yet. It was a lie to say Sasuke didn't sometimes wish for the same thing, but he wasn't about to let anyone know that.

"She quit smoking though." He continued, lowing his hands to smile at the bitter Sasuke.

"Hn." Was all he could muster out, not having it in him to give Sakura up and break his friend's heart again. She was feeding them lies without restraints and if only he knew how true that statement ran.

* * *

Karin's legs dangling in the breeze as she stared at the half-glow of the moon in amazement, unsure if she could appreciate this night or dwell in it. The weather was beautiful for the last couple of days, and no doubt it will continue to be until June and July hit, but internally she felt disgusting. Overheating or freezing cold, her mind and body couldn't match the temperature of her surroundings. How is it that she could live in a place so beautiful when destruction lurked not so far away, unsensed and unfelt by those most deserving of it? But rather in place someone who saved her life on a night like this?

"Ah, Hokage-sama." Turning herself from her place high on the pillars of the gate, she was met with curious brown eyes. Bitter on the inside, she smiled sweetly out, and descending from her post she landed on the outskirts of the Uchiha compound to meet her superior.

"You've been here for a while." The Hokage stated, walking up to stand toe to toe with the peculiar girl. "Is there something you need?"

Sakura had protected Karin dearly with her life three years ago, simply stating that she was taken from Orochimaru and was to be asked questions and not tortured while Sakura endure everything possible from Ibiki. The reason of their friendship was undetermined, and why Sakura kept her around throughout her travel was something questioned in the beginning. A thing that bonded them undiscovered and upon arrival, anyone could tell they were from different realms of life; while Sakura was unnaturally quiet and serious, Karin was loud and foolish.

In a very inconspicuous way, they clung to each other. And while Ryuu could hardly nudge anything out of Sakura, Karin could. _She always needed a girl best friend_, he said, taking no offence to his shunning.

"No, not really." She hummed, leaning her body forward and back as she scanned her surroundings in wonderment. "I'm just seeing how things were going."

"Did Sakura send you?" Tsunade laugh, her jiggle pulling the girl along. She shook her head and smiled at the Hokage, her glasses lowering half an inch down her nose. "Hm, her absence to explain her part of the mission is troubling."

A part of her wanted to warn Tsunade how troubling Sakura's presence would be, but decided against it by her better judgement. The way she kept peering around for the missing girl was what was the main issue, and with every turn of her head the butterflies in Karin's stomach would flutter about.

"I've been wondering." Karin mused, finally finding something within her speak once the Tsunade was allowing her worry to be put into action. A search for Sakura would be hazardous, and with the change of plans they _both_ needed to stay. "Hokage-sama, I would like to request that you train me."

Red eyes stared at Tsunade with anticipation, searching for some facial expression that could predict her future before words could. Doing so would allow her half a second to come figure out how to persuade her. Thinking on the spot was what was required of a shinobi to keep themselves alive, but what she managed was much heavier than her own body mass, but possible all the body masses of Konoha.

"Karin...I..." Tsunade stammered, stopping in her tracks to come up with a good enough reason to decline. "This is a really bad time to ask for that Karin."

No one needed to tell her twice. In fact, no one needed to tell her at all. It was an absolute horrible time to ask for any favor, but if it was one thing Karin was good at it was become an obstacle when required. And was it really required for if it wasn't she didn't know who else could fill the job. The mission given was of absolute importance, hidden from others, and managed by her own.

If it wasn't for her glasses, Tsunade may have noticed the twinkle in her eye and the intensity that she watched her. Not enough to discussed, Tsunade turned the other direction and while Karin hadn't moved from her spot her heart was beating at the speed of a shinobi who ran none stop.

"Now if you'll excuse me..."

The tightening of her fist with each second to pass, she didn't have time to deal with another request to train. She too busy of a woman who hosting two evil organizations that sat inside, within the village walls, and impatiently waited for a girl who was to be of show an hour ago. To stop all that and contemplate the free time in her schedule wasn't something she had time for, and the faster she found Sakura the sooner she could pummel the girl. Honestly, just because she was an ex-Akatsuki member and Princess of Snow she thought she could get some kind of special treatment for it. Maybe she would've and maybe she did all these years, but with the presence of Akatsuki she wasn't all that high and mighty when so many stood on her level.

"Why does Sakura gets to be so much attention?"

Tsunade stopped dead in her tracks and turned to face the fuming best friend. The attention Sakura receives was on behalf of the Akatsuki, on behalf that she owned a demon, and on behalf of her belonging to the ever famous Team Seven. Four were orphans, three were Sharigan wielders, two were demons, and two were former missing-nins. Sakura didn't miss a beat for falling under the four, three, or two and while it earned Team Seven a reputation for being the strongest and most torn group, it specifically brought it upon her.

A simple stare asking if she was serious didn't stop Karin from persisting in her rant, and she took another step forward with the notch on her volume turned a little louder. "It's not fair that she gets to train with you and be better than me while I'm stuck with her hand-me-downs!"

A part of her wasn't sure if she really meant that or believed she had been suppressing that thought the last three years. Meant it or believed, it was true that Sakura surpassed her on many levels. Somewhere in her unconsciousness she knew that, but it hadn't been a problem until she admitted it aloud. Distracted by her own confusion and shame, she failed to notice the glare behind Tsunade's darken brown eyes before she turned to leave again.

"Calm down, we can all hear you inside." Kakashi mutter, pressing his fingers against her shoulder to send a comfort he only half cared for.

Karin twisted away quickly, looking like she was ready to attack but only ended up shouting a "I don't care! I—" before a heavy pressure shooting stopped her in her tracks. While it merely took everyone by surprise, Karin was completely petrified by the strong energy. Her brows knitted together and she stared at the ground with grief and horror.

"What was—" Tsunade hadn't felt an chakra pressure like that in years, and living in a village with Naruto and Sakura with the occasional visit from Gaara, she could easily tell you that all three demon chakras didn't compare to that. "Kakashi, do you have any idea what that was?"

Scratching his head, all he could do was shake it in dismissal.

"No," He hadn't felt anything that strong either, yet it seemed oddly familiar. "But we better go check it out."

Kakashi's words had brought her from wherever her mind wandered off to; bringing her back to life. "No! You can't!"

But she was just at it again, demanding more for herself than she did for the village. It was a rare deal to see her outside of the village walls without the company of Sakura or it being a simple trip to Snow. Not once had she done anyone service but allow them to bite into her skin, and that left her with the reputation of Sakura's sidekick. Sakura did most of the work while Karin was allowed to lounge around, but without the power of Neko or a care in her heart, Karin gave little thought to those comments. Or maybe they were just lucky because she believed them all to be ignorant, which in reality wasn't all that much of a lie.

"You'll die if—" By covering her mouth as she did and her small retreat with two steps back, both Tsunade and Kakashi eyed her in suspicion. Standing in the position like Sakura at the chuunin exam, with both feet on two different side, Karin was torn between what she unconsciously wanted and what her heart knew she wanted. Her eyes darted back and forth between the two before he face twisted away.

"What are you not telling us?" Kakashi's voice dropped dangerously low and he took a step forward, unsure why, for threatening a friend of Sakura was the last thing anyone did. The extent she went to protect others was impeccable, and not shit they were the reason why she came back with broken bones and severe wounds. "If you don't tell me what it is, I'm going to go and check that out myself."

She wanted to laugh at how predictable she made herself for that outburst, stopping herself a little too late and allowing Kakashi to use her weakness against her. The mission failed before it even began, but Sakura had kept that hope in her that everything would be alright. _Damn him._

"Sakura's taking care of it." She whispered, looking at them with the pleading look that begged for their understanding. If over the last three years, even with very little emotions, they learned and knew what Sakura stood for and believed in, they would listen to her plead. But anything involving Sakura was their main concern because everyone did know Sakura had the gift for getting herself into shit she couldn't pull herself out of.

"Sakura-chan's fighting whatever that was?" Her ever annoying cousin would make Sakura his main concern and the heavens were cursed for Karin's lack of concentration. Turning around, she came eye to eye with Naruto and Sasuke. While Naruto looked flabbergasted and astonished by the sudden stir in the atmosphere, Sasuke glared at her—hard. "Did you feel that chakra?"

Did she feel that chakra? Did she feel that chakra! Something like it was the stupidest thing she had ever heard in her whole life and bearing the gift she had wasn't the reason behind its stupidity. They had only felt that chakra, but she lived it. She lived that chakra and understood the severity of this more than anyone else in the world did. That's why Karin was relevant and that's why Sakura was her best friend.

Everyone only felt it, while at this moment, like Karin years ago, Sakura was living it. It was something that didn't know and when it came to, wouldn't understand. To pour Saskura's pain and hard work down the drain like that wasn't something she could allow so easily. As much as Naruto wanted to believe he knew Sakura best, wanted to believe they were best friends, they weren't. He would never understand Sakura's motives.

"That's why she wanted you all to stay here!"

And that was the end of it. Sasuke couldn't take the games, the lies, or the secrets anymore. Enough was blown onto him with what Sakura had said on the mission, but her she went again with all the secrets, and something such as Karin being sent to distract them told them that it was one she wasn't planning to tell.

"What was that, Karin?" His voice caught her off guard and it took everything within her not to shiver. Turning to Sasuke, pleading eyes were met with a hard glare, making her squirm and knees weak. "Spit it out."

Say nothing and they would leave, say something and maybe they would stay. But would leaving to help be such a bad idea now that they had Akatsuki on their sides? Being with Sakura left her at many crossroads, but this was the one she had the most trouble crossing. Potentially save them or potentially get them all killed. Potentially allow Sakura to die—because no doubt this was seven too many times—or risk of their own lives?

The way Sasuke was approaching her left her very little time to weigh out her options, where one would get her ass kicked by Sakura and the other would get her ass kicked by Sakura. Turning to them with tears in her eyes with her face dressed in the same expression Sakura had on the day she made her life changing move to fight and get kidnapped by the Akatsuki, what she said turned their feets cold and their fingers numb.

* * *

Peace showered the forest and the moon kissed it with light. Deep within, a little too late in the evening for anyone to be around, a girl emerged through the thick trees. Arriving with a bag full of clothes for a trip that granted no return, she stopped only a metre behind him and waited for his reaction. Turning around, after not seeing each other for a couple of days, she hadn't expected a kiss of a hug from him. What she received was much expected; a sigh and an irritated glare for making him wait so long.

Because leaving with him to return to the land of Snow would be fulfilling her part of the deal and marrying him would make him keep his end, she complied to his demand to meet in forest—possible resulting in her departure. That's why she unwillingly agreed to this three years ago, and maybe that's why she was backing out now. Making promises with no intention of keeping them would only result to the breaking of it over time, especially when one wasn't there to keep the other in line, second thoughts and violation easily ensued.

The extension of his hand was only met with the dropping of the bag and the warning glare was met with blood red eyes belonging to a person who was too sick and tired of this game, and a "I'm not marrying you." He could've reminded her of their deal and why she made it with him in the first place, but when her attack came so sudden and half-expected, he hadn't the chance before her ears were overcome with a shrieking sound and she was on the edge of losing consciousness.

Stopping in front of her, pale green eyes stared at her pathetic form. Broken on the ground with no movements disallowing pain, she forced herself to preform the appropriate hand seals to heal herself. She may have lasted longer than usual, but he sure was getting tired of all this. Three years with minimal contact, this was not how he planned for their reuniting.

She hadn't changed a bit.

"I thought you would grow wiser with age." He sighed, stopping his approach once her body disappeared. An explosion of chakra formed a shield, protecting him from the kunais and shurikens that would've ended him if they hadn't disintegrated. Turning to meet eye to eye, her right leg gave out in pain. And even with resistant she crumbled to the ground, healing it and filling the air with pants of agaony.

The situation was laughable, if having your fiancee trying to kill you was a funny business. What humoured him was how many attempts she had on his life and how many times she succeeded with those attempts. He figured that after six attempts with weeks of pain would teach her to behave herself, but a three year absence obviously tempered with her memory—he was sure to remind her.

"You know you can't kill me."

If she knew that was true she didn't admit it, only because admitting it would be the end of her. To grow old with a man such as himself wasn't her dream come true and ever since meeting him she couldn't recall the last time she had a dream for anything. Countless desires to kill him made her feel worn out and angry like Sasuke, and the emotionless state as her way of coping with it only made it worse. But her fight wasn't for revenge, but for freedom—but every atom in her detested the idea of killing as a solution, although she has applied the lesson he taught her the day they met.

"Everything dies one way or another." She retorted, glaring at him through dizzy eyes and nausea. Saying something like that kept her going, even if she wasn't sure if she could be that _one way or another. _

Her fiancee just chuckled. "Why can't you be a good little wife and do what I say?"

Coming her way, her mind prepared for the type of pain only his touch could bring. With her leg still burning and her heart racing at it was, she was left stranded to play the role of a sitting duck while her predator was on the move. Immobile, nauseated, with her heart clawing against her ribs, Sakura could no longer breath with the twisting of his fist into her collar as he easily pulled her to her feet.

An easy target for death and the only fear running through her was for those in the village three miles away. Sassy with no tolerance for men like him, she found that within her to release a grunt. And with green eyes clashing with green, she smirked.

"That's call being a slave, not a wife."

Small rocks and twigs carved into her skin. Tearing at it, digging into it; it all felt like small pinched compare to what she was used to. A punch to the face was enough to send her sliding across the clearing, and extending of her arms she pushed herself into a crouching position to regain her balance, only for her right leg to give out and her body to huddle to the earth. Even in the small ball, the small amount of pressure send waves of pain to shoot into the injured leg. Leaning to her left, her body collapsed and relaxed, the only audible being her pants and the shouting of people who didn't belong where they were.

A curtain of pink may cover her face from everyone, but she clearly saw how Naruto practically ripped the bush from its roots as he emerged into the forest. She hoped it hallucinations was a side effect to this pain, but knowing fully well that it wasn't, she only cursed at the people that followed his pursuit. Her nails clawed into the dirt beneath her, but she couldn't find the energy to react any more.

"Sakura-chan!"

Laying so lifeless on the ground by the hands of her fiancee was not how Naruto imagined meeting the lucky guy. He imagined food, confetti, and him crashing the eventful day that was to join them for eternity. The only thing he found himself crashing in on was a party for two on the event of domestic violence. If Karin hadn't stood in front of him he may have charged and tried to kill the man. If the fact that Sakura had failed at trying to kill him six time hadn't been known by him, he may have not even stopped to observe her handling of the situation.

Turning to their company, a smirk etched itself on his face. Fairly handsome with pale green eyes and caramel brown hair, meeting him would've been like meeting a prince if he wasn't so twisted. That's what Karin thought of him the moment she met him, but with an hour he had proven her wrong by the showing of his true colours with his chakra the paintbrush.

The way he smirked at her would give her nightmares, remembering the first time he done so only resulted in enough pain to knock her out—and every single other smirk being how much he wished he was still able to give her that much pain.

"Ah, Karin. Long time no see." He could've been greeting a long lost friend, but even Naruto hadn't greeted Sasuke that way. Missing him was enough to keep him training him, but after nearly killing him Sasuke's welcome home gift was planned to be beating to the scalp if Sakura hadn't beaten him to it first.

"Toji-sama." Karin replied him with a slight bow, feeding his ego to much of Sakura's warning and encouraging the tugging of his skin. His smirk widened to a grin and his arm extended into a formation of a hug. The "How have you been?" that caused Karin to retreat behind Naruto weakly rose Sakura body, but her warning came at lighting speed and loud as thunder.

"Don't touch her, Toji."

Sakura could feel it in his chakra; the way it stirred with excitement gave no doubt as to what his intentions were. If being with him for as long as she had didn't already allow her to know he didn't make talk without a set purpose, then the way the chakra raged within him did.

The grin dropped way too quickly for anyone's liking, and in the place of his face was the distant moon. Turning to where Sakura laid, her body quickly rose with the yanking of her locks and staring up at him she seemed almost giving to him. So weak, delicate and fragile like she hadn't been for years—even when fighting Itachi.

Throwing her to the ground, she hadn't resisted and made an attempt to soften her fall. The small "oomph" satisfied him not nearly enough as he would've liked, and to think that a woman can tell him what to do and when to do it. Like she owned him and controlled him when she couldn't even take care of her body.

He felt embarrassed and humiliated for it. Who was she compared to him?

"You are in no position to tell me what to do!" He spat, kicking her form while she tried to push herself up and sending her flying across the field. "Spoiled bitch."

The way her body rolled like a rag-doll set his heart afire. The way the love of her life so harshly handling something so delicate made his stomach churn with that evening's dinner. He had agreed to hand her over to this man when for all they he knew Akatsuki treated her better. Forcing him to face that unfair fact only made him hate this Toji even more—if making Sakura the emotionless person she was hadn't already done the trick.

"Don't you touch her like that, you bastard!" The exclamation and sudden discharge of chakra awoken her from the daze she had been place under for so long. Like a shark that sensed blood, his persistence to get what he wanted would be the end to all within a mile radius. In the ocean of forest, on marked turf of the shark, they all idled as fishes unaware of the danger that lurked about.

Sharpened rocked stopped his body movement completely if the quick rise of Sakura's body didn't.

"Stay out of this." Was another boom of thunder, this time more dangerous—this time more commanding.

Bewildered blue eyes, one that stood so close to death, stumbled back from the demon made rocks. Glancing back at Sakura in disbelief, the emotions that should've excited him only cause another tug of anger. Years and years he spent trying to pull something out of that stoic, depressed face, but with a sudden punch to the face and kick to the stomach, he drew every worse emotion possible. The apologetic eyes were eating at them all, and she looked away in shame to the leg she was still healing.

"Ah, looks like the Uchiha brats are back too." His snort was only met with a quick flicker of green eyes, one that went unseen by many while comforting words were forced into her mind.

Not only did Karin fail her part of the assignment by keeping the Konoha shinobis away, but she managed to lure enough attention to bring in Akatsuki and Orochimaru. As if her worry wasn't already about the safety of Konoha, but now she had two others to worry about what could devastate Konoha on their own.

Killing him was no longer her priority. The unexpected twist made protecting others her hindrance.

"Weren't they on that mission with you?" Looking over his shoulder, it was more of a demand than it was a curious question.

Even if he had treated her poorly, she still was his fiancee. On a mission with two other men, one being her childhood best friend and the other her ex-boyfriend, any fiancee would feel a ping of jealousy and hate. Though Sakura couldn't say it was exactly out of love or his concern for her emotions, even if it should be—but she wasn't about to let him know that.

Oddly familiar wasn't so odd anymore. With the mention of the mission that Toji should've known nothing about, the chakra that he released matched the one that placed an end to Sasuke and Sakura's dispute their first night. And by the way Sasuke's eyes narrowed, recalling the night Sakura left him behind while she went to "deal" with the chakra, Kakashi could confidently say he remembered it as well.

"That chakra..." Sasuke growled, his fist clenching in a way that only Toji would take as a challenge.

An attack directed towards them was something they couldn't handle, something she couldn't handle, and something no one could handle. The way her body ached while Toji remained untouched was proof and it was anyone's bet that Sakura could pulverize Sasuke with both hands behind her back.

Widening her eyes and making her moth shape into an "O" was as much as a gasp as anyone could get out of her. And turning to face them her eyes nearly begged Sasuke to back down—when he wasn't even sure he was challenging him. Did he want to challenge Toji? Indeed, very much actually. But the sharpened rocks had been their warning to stay behind the lines and even though Neko's powers were enough to hold them back, Toji was a different story.

Her only focus was to change his focus. Directing his anger onto them left them no chance of survival, but Sakura had gone through his hell countless times, and she was still alive, wasn't she? Like Akatsuki, she could get away with murder, but she has yet to conclude that as a good thing.

In return for murder, she was kept under locked and threatened daily. The price was unfair, but she still accepted—backed into a corner she had no choice otherwise. They always acted like they could control her; Pein, Itachi—everyone! And always making the same mistake, she allows them to believe that in the beginning until the idea etches itself into their mind and they demand no different.

"It was a seduction mission." Sakura breathed, leaning forward to intensely stare at his back while savouring the way her words stopped him dead in his tracks.

The glint in his eyes was all too familiar to Karin, making her legs shake in enough fear to grip onto Naruto for support. Turning to look at her for the first time that night, Naruto swore he had never seen her so scared. But without Sakura's protection, she had every right to be. But they way her face twisted with the feel of helplessness and grief told him that her fear was not for herself.

"Sakura, don't..." She whimpered, tightening her hold on Naruto while with ever pulse from her hand sent his stomach aflutter—sent everyone's stomach a flutter. It was no longer simple domestic violence between boyfriend and girlfriend, but something increasingly dangerous by twenty folds. The way she begged her best friend made death sound so near.

But they had figured that all out when Karin had told them Sakura would get herself killed that day. She had said no one could stop him if he wanted to kill her, and she silent hoped that he hadn't intended to that day. Naruto said that this man couldn't be that strong and surely him, Kakashi, and Sasuke could take him down. But that only got them a bitter laugh and a voice lost of hope saying "I don't think all of Akatsuki could kill him."

But Naruto still had to try.

Sakura stared at Karin with knowing eyes. Knowing the severity of her consequences before turning back to Toji with her calculations made and finalized. Her mouth twisted into a smirk which made a hearts quicken and the eyes of an angry fiancee narrow. The wicked grin she had was matched with mischievous eyes, and blinking slowly she drew a breath before saying what would send him over the edge.

"He touched me."

And he was on her like the shark he was, putting Kisame to shame with his hunger for blood. The said fish only kept glancing back and forth between the fiancee and Itachi, positive that once the Uchiha met him he would kill without question. He figured the leader kept him in his place like he kept them all, but what was even more expected was that the leader was on him before Itachi got the chance.

He was more threatening than he had been since they met him—he gave off this killing aura after Sakura's reappearance to the living world. This marriage of hers should've sent him over the edge like they thought it would when the demon child had exclaimed it when asking for their help and something flickered in his hard eyes. Maybe they were wrong.

It was embarrassing that the most powerful was just standing and observing the emotional and physical torture that her fiancee placed her through. At Akatsuki, no one could get their hands on her, but the misplacement of her membership lead them to believing their lack of assistance was Pein's form of punishment and revenge.

Toji's attack came a little too late. With her leg healed she easily dodge the hand that went for her neck, leaving him to touch the tree that shattered instantly. Skidding back vines and rocks shot his way and they were positive that would get to him. But before even coming a foot close to his body, their properties turned to dust and a shallow crater stood in the place Toji once was.

Balancing herself on the tree bark with a fist full of chakra, she launched herself forward in an attempt she knew would be in vein. The way his chakra danced and hacked away at everything tore at the leather that covered her skin and in place was his large hand that held her and her fear in place.

"I gave you everything." He grunted, taking minor pleasures in the way her wrist weakened. The furrowing of her eyebrow and her wrist was pulled free with much effort. Stumbling back a couple of feet, her left hand glowed a light green before rising to heal the touched skin.

"You gave me nothing." She shouted, allowing him to take hold of her once again. Glaring at each other for a second, Sakura's body shattered into droplets of water. The attack Haku had once tried to pull allowed a little light to their tunnel of misfortune, but it dimmed quickly with the way water littered the ground before allowed to pierce his flesh.

The kunais aimed at his back came to him in finely ground metal, and turning to her his glare hardened. The way she stood against him was of the utmost unacceptable, and the sooner she learned her place the sooner his plan could be put into action. But even after everything he gave her she acted spoiled and ungrateful, like she wasn't aware of how great he was and all the things he had done for her.

"I saved you from Akatsuki." He growled, perking the ears of the angry while they watch him stalk Sakura a a predator to to its preys. "You asked for three years with these people and I gave it to you."

More shards shot from the ground, completely blocking Akatsuki's route to them if they ever wished to take action on his statement. In their minds, it was out of pride, but in her mind, it was for the very little care they had for their lives. The turn of the many members' faces to the unreadable face of their leader demonstrated how much they knew of his ego, scaring her away from what the results may be.

Three years. He had restrained her to only spending three years with the people she cared most for. That was more of a misdeed than a favour if she had ever seen one. A laugh that Naruto had expected to delight him only game out as bitter as the coffee Tsunade sometimes drank. So bitter and broken, she sounded like a broken music box that had been smashed over and over again and held together with tape.

"Don't act like you're better than me." Giving him a weak smile and sad eyes, she she shook her head in pity. And that was what sent him over.

Coming at her again, his hands engulfed her small broken wrists. Holding them in place with unnecessary strength, impossible to undo by the amount of chakra she had left, he drank in the way her eyes widen while Neko attacked also rendered useless.

A small grunt and the releasing of his chakra, the way she curled into him in pain was so delicious. But the way it may have provided her with comfort wasn't to his liking, and with a stomp to the stomach she fell back and curled herself into a tight ball.

And self-control and tolerance fell with her.

"Pathetic." He sneered, crouching down to brush the pink hair that hid her face. "Pathetic and weak."

And she was all his.

"Someone like you doesn't have the right to call her weak!" Naruto shouted, kicking at the rocks that separated them in attempt to proceed forward. Confliction of emotions left him unsure once the rocks grew back in, letting him know Sakura was still conscious but in severe pain that she remained unmoved. Although unsure of his relief, Naruto was one hundred percent sure that this bastard, this "fiancee", stood on no grounds to make sure accusations. "Look at you, you filthy bastard! Beating a woman like that! Beating your fiancee like that! Only weak men do that!"

They had caught on how his eyes flickered at the word weak, and the screeching in her ears and aching in her body fell silent with those very words. She was getting scared for what felt like the first time in a while. Petrified and grim that she could no longer protect them, and only so relieved when her body was forced upright to heal all the cracks in her bones. She was getting low on chakra, but reluctantly allowed her hands to preform the assigned seals that would send the low amount surging into her hands to be released into her body.

"What did you say?" She heard him dare, knowing that tone in his voice too well, but not enable to find hers.

Only Naruto could be enough of an idiot to not realize the potential danger her put himself in. Karin had brought an army of highly trained shinobis, but even they stood in their spot and made no move to fight. The reason behind it was something she couldn't say. She could only appreciate the fact that they didn't care enough to put themselves on the line. She wouldn't be able to handle the outcome of this war.

"Naruto, stop!" Gripping his arm and digging her heels into the ground, Karin begged her cousin to stop with the death wish he was making. She had believed it to be possible to kill Toji if all of Akatsuki was there, but three years of his absence caused her to underestimate the ability he would be oh so glad to remind her with.

"No, look at what that bastard is doing to Sakura!" He shouted as if she were blind. As if she didn't already know. As if she hadn't seen it a thousand times before. "Were you really going to marry him, Sakura? We're you going to settle for a piece of shit like him?"

Her gaze had this look that only asked "what do you think" and the way her eyes lowered from him to the ground in front of her answered his already answered question. The ring she wore was proof of the answer given long ago, but if it hadn't been for recent events than Karin and her would've left willingly with him—long gone by now.

A piece of shit is what he called Toji, but a piece of shit was what Toji was not. If the little boy kept pestering him than his hold on their deal would waver just a bit, something that would not make his wife to be happy at all.

"I'd listen to her if I were you." He warned nonetheless, the crumbling of earth around him demonstrating the reason why—if Naruto hadn't seen it earlier. His power struck hard and fast like lightning, bringing nothing but burning agony and destruction to what he touched.

"Naruto, stop. You're going to get yourself killed." Karin tried again, knowing the futility of it once Naruto's mind was dead set on something and only hoping Akatsuki could live up to their reputation. Emotionless faces was the only thing she could get from these men. Silently they were watching Sakura, and mutely they were judging her. She couldn't understand how they could so light-heartedly watch her suffer—if there were hearts in there to begin with—especially Itachi or Pein.

Their stares were so empty that she had no idea how Sakura could've ever held any kind of relationship with these men. It was no wonder why it was so easy for someone like Toji to take hold of her.

One ear and out the other, Naruto continued to challenge the man who took the Sakura he know and broke her into a million pieces. Akatsuki seemed almost friendly compared to him.

"Sakura is the strongest person I know! She comes back from every goddamn mission bloodied up and nearly dead because she throws herself in front of others to protect them! She sacrifice herself every single time to make sure we're okay. And if we're hurt she'll heal her teammates before herself." Naruto snarled, pointing at the girl who looked to be paying no attention to the whole situation at all. Sad eyes and broken spirit, the only life in her was the dim green glow the echoed from her hands. "So don't you dare call her weak. Someone like that, someone who's the opposite of you will never be weak."

The idea was laughable. If Sakura wasn't weak than that made him the strongest person he knew. Looking at her, her gaze snapped up at him out of fear and the conditioned brain—believing he would attack like he usually does when his eyes were set on her. She was so cute when she was scared of him and he dismissed it lightly to turn back to the one who was truly ignorant. Strongest person he knew, eh? Naruto needed to reevaluate that statement.

"Opposite of me? Someone with Uchiha and Haruno bloodline?" The mockery in his voice caused the remaining clan members' eyes to narrow; a sense of their pride and honour made a joke was nothing funny.

"You know what they are? Water; iron filled water that runs through your veins. They're nothing compare to the blood that runs through me." His menacing grin could only make the pain Sakura must've gone through impossible to messure. The wild look of bloodlust in his eyes and the clenching of his hands made it suffocating to stand.

"The strongest." He continued, curling his fingers before his hand shot up to the tree a little too close to Sakura, creating a hole through it without a touch or acknowledgement. A boulder shot from the ground in time to navigate the course in which the tree fell, missing Sakura by a couple of inches when they all believed it would've crushed her. "Even with two bloodlines and a demon, look at you're strongest person now; crumbling at my touch. It's so beautiful. I love it."

"You bastard!" And his body was on the move before Karin could grab him and before Sakura or Neko could calculate what was happening. He was over the rocks in a second, fist aimed at Toji in the next. "I'll kill you."

He wouldn't stand for another second of it; another second of watching the sick bastard enjoy the agony he put his own fiancee under when all she ever really needed was love and acceptance. Selfish people like him drove him mad and a part of him wished Toji was younger, just so he could get his hands on the brat and beat some sense into him. If Sakura was a spoiled bitch than this man was the biggest spoiled bitch of all. To think his actions would have no consequences and his endless greed would be fulfilled on demand was his biggest mistake.

"Naruto, stop!" Sakura ordered, missing the point for a second too late. The fist that went for his face was met with his hands. Green eyes imdulged in the frustration of the boy as Naruto failed in his attempt to tear from Toji's grip. By the way Naruto winced and by the way Toji's wicked smirk slowly widened, she knew he was only beginning the torture from hell onto Naruto. Take her most painful external injury and double that by fifty folds, that's what you dealt with when at the hands of fiancee. "Toji, don't."

That plead would've been more beautiful if it hadn't come in the form of an order.

"Ugh..." Naruto groaned, feeling like his arms was tearing away from the inside. But this time around he refused to stand useless to Sakura's problems, not like that time with the Akatsukis or that time in the cellar. His left hand may have been weaker when compared to his right, but he swung it anyways, determined to send the guy flying to give him his own medicine"Take this!"

But that hand had been captured too and brought to the join the other. A glare that lasted half a second was all he could muster out before his whole body trembled in pain. Holding it in as long as he could he lasted half a second before his legs gave out and he rose his head to the sky, howling in pain.

If you asked Sakura what a broken heart felt like, she could tell you if felt like watching your loved ones suffer at the hands of your problems. She wouldn't tell you it's like getting your heart clawed out by the man you loved, although she felt that too. What that was to her was a reality check, but what this was was something much more excruciating. Painful enough for the tears she only cried in hysteria to slid down her cheeks, watching as Naruto endured what she hardly could to only see Sasuke, Kakashi, and Tsunade make his way to join him.

"Master-sama, stop!" Words thought to be impossible to ever leave her lips did, and the audience couldn't decide which one was more remarkable: the fact that she had given in and called someone _Master-sama _when she couldn't even acknowledge the leader of Akatsuki or that _Master-sama _had stopped.

Toji dropped Naruto to the ground and left it to lay limp while the boy danced in and out of consciousness. Leaving him where he was, he turned on his heels to approached his astonished fiancee; her eyes wide in disbelief with streaks of sadness down her face.

"Ah, it only took you four years to call me that, darling." He mused, turning her attention to him for a quick second.

Karin joined Tsunade and Sasuke at Naruto's side, allowing the young Uchiha boy to hold his head up while her skin brushed against his.

"Naruto, hey." She called softly, stirring some response in him that came in the form of a whimper. "It's alright, I got you, just bite." She ushered, pressing her wrist onto his mouth with tears streaming down her own face. Pleading with him this time, her head lowered with tears. "Just bite."

Staring over Toji's body, Sakura could only see the little response Naruto was giving out. Withdrawn into his own mind to suffer alone, her face crumbled at the idea of how much pain he must've been in because he decided to get into one of her messes again.

"Look at what you've done to him." She whispered, keeping her eyes locked on the Naruto's face to him opened his mouth slightly to allow Karin to heal whatever she could.

Nonreactive to his touch, many wanted to shout at her for allowing those hands to caress her face. It was unbelievable how she could tolerate this "tender" touch when only seconds ago those exact hands had caused unfathomable pain to the one she was crying for. Crying as much as she had was a rare sight to see, and its frequent reoccurance had only happened at Akatsuki during the membership of Ami. Pein had tolerated it then because he had a slut to fuck, but it was questionable why he tolerated it now.

"You're so pretty when you cry." He hushed, turning her face back around to allow him to a lovely view. Leaning in he kissed the falling tear, and pulling back slightly he licked his lips. "I've missed the tears you would cry for me."

Weak hands rose to cup his wrist, falsely making everyone believe she would push him away in digust instead of leaning her face into his palms like she had. "Why did you...how could you?"

It was like she sought comfort in him when he had been the one to cause the contrary to her and Naruto.

Pulling his hand away slightly and taking hold of her face tenderly, he sent her another malicious grin before pulling her face forward. Their lips lingered in the air while shallow breaths mingled together. Staring down at them she looked so hypnotized and staring at her they wanted to scream and shout for her to do something to protect herself. The way she just sat there left her wide open for an attack if one were to come, and it really wasn't like her to be this submissive to anyone—that made everyone else feel uncomfortable.

"Because I love you." He breathed, their beings connection at the point of their lips. As still as a rock, her body didn't move from its position, allowing him to kiss as he pleased and knowing well that for the first time in history, someone had control over her. Slowly her eyes fell shut, and she slumped into passionless kiss. But as she pulled back for air, her shoulder rose with the intake. Exhaling slowly, the flames ate at him at her pleasure. "You bitch!"

Stumbling back, a hand pressed against his face in a hopeless attempt to push back the burn. His glare was evenly matched with Sharigan eyes which he knew better than to stare into for more than a tenth of a second.

"Now."

A little distracted with hate and anger, Toji didn't notice the way the trees behind him rustled and how close a second figure was to him. The second he had notice and turned around, his body was met with pointed fingers—palms, for that matter.

Neji only managed to reach a total of 16 palms before vegetation wrapped around his waist and pulled him to safety. Steadying behind Sakura, he readied to defend. Her attempt to stand up was unforgiving by the burning in her legs, and she fell onto the ground and out of submission like Neji had rendered her to be. But something told her the restriction on his chakra would make it easier to kill him, even in this state. The strings of chakra he sent through the chakra points on his body were cut back, allow more holes where penetration was made easy.

And where the hell did Hyuga Neji come from?

"Why I...no." He had headed her way to begin with, but understanding turned his direction to Sasuke, Naruto, and Karin.

"No, don't..." She pleaded dearly.

But his even footing continued, and as he rose his arm to strike power of pressured anxiety was finally released. Along with it came the sprouting of ten foot high wall, dividing the sides of each other vainly, but made out of habit.

Already at his mercy—but persistent to defeat that ideal—both hands latched onto his and their fingers entwined. But with unhealed injuries she crumbled to the ground again, however, the hold on his hands did not loosen—even with the amount of chakra surging through her body. Refusing to let go, he body drank the destructive power. Blasting through her body like lightning, an unfathomable ache came from everywhere and no where.

The ache forced her to come to terms with what she had never wanted to admit to herself since Akatsuki, and falling to her knees she continued to hold on. Accepting the futility of running away from him or denying her responsibility to death, she let out the ear piercing scream that had been built up for way too long.

And as they had all been holding their breaths for, Pein was finally on the move.

* * *

**This little guy was what shaped this whole story and I had been excited to write it since forever. I'm so glad it's finally up, but wow, how many times did I write _Sakura _in this chapter, eh? **

**I don't own Naruto or any of its original characters.**

**xoxo**


	12. A Chain of Mistakes

**Chapter Thirteen: A Chain of Mistakes**

* * *

Cotton shirt and cotton pants, a combo meant to provide comfort under most circumstances. Light to the skin and flexible, it weighed nothing with equal touches of nothingness. It provided comfort which many never got after becoming a shinobi—so tell them this: why did Sakura looked the most discontented than she had in forever? Standing in front of them, almost hiding her form behind the shadow of Ryuu, her eyes drowned in grief and hatred, and her body radiated the pressure of lost and anger. Downcast eyes darted between spots on the ground, studying the microscopic bacteria that layered it, and refusing to meet the faces of those who witness the horrific event that penetrated their mind, hearts, and souls four days ago.

Standing in her discomfort and allowing them to size her up like they just recognized her for the first time, the emotions that adorned her face nearly made them wish that she still remained the lifeless girl they met three years ago. The one allowed to soak in her sorrows alone, making the loved ones wish they could dwell with her, but not knowing what they were asking for. A single choice to keep all problems in holes and in corners spared many of the reality she was living, but all it ever took was a single exploit to remind them she stood out of their reach like always. No matter how much the believed they knew what was going on with her life and knew they would be of help, she proves them wrong with just one scenario. Like Itachi, like Akatsuki, like now.

But she was still very much a child, and holding hands with Ryuu had reminded them that. If Sasuke thought he had it hard, Kakashi would send him to a mental institution before the little arrogant Uchiha had the audacity to attempt to remind her. Because while he endured only one massacre, Sakura lived many; ones of her own family, ones of her own cousin, ones of her own freedom, and one of her heart. Yet she never pushed it on anyone, never made her motivations or suffering public for others to take pity or embellish in. While Sasuke thought life had it rough for him—choosing to run away to a man that promise power in return for his body and leaving so many who wanted to help him behind—Sakura was left with only, for as far as Kakashi knew, Karin.

And that had only been by chance, not choice. Because what choices has she ever made in her life? Like her choice to bear a demon, like how she chose to catch Itachi's attention, and chose that blood donation, being Akatsuki's target, and being threatened by a man who wanted to use her for his own gains. Still a child and threatened by the world from day one, thrown into situations she didn't have a choice but to be in, and force to make a choice—given this opportunity a little too late—of whether to give others up or herself, Sasuke had no right compare himself to her. And her answer to sacrifice herself hadn't changed yet, not since meeting Haku and swallowing the pill of guilt given by the hands of knowledge.

However, Kakashi knew she wouldn't see things his way. She usually never saw things anyone else's way but her own, and once her mind was made up she'll go through with whatever idiocy she would conjure up in that pretty mind of hers. She took responsibility for everything fate had thrown at her, and responsibility was dangerous to ones mental health.

"Sorry we're late. She didn't feel like getting out of bed." Ryuu shrugged, holding no actually apology to the one verbally expressed. Like a princess she was, he spoiled her from time to time, and when necessary, she got her way. Arriving late to a meeting with Hokage and all her little "friends" wasn't something he was sorry for or put under the category of priority compared to Sakura's health. If he was honest with himself, he'd prefer she not go at all because something like this didn't need to be relived. Even if he was ignorant to all the little details which she would have to elaborate Karin's simple "Her marriage was forced and she wanted to kill her fiancee to get out of it" was enough of an explanation for him to withstand—it should be enough for them as well.

Tsunade dismissed it, shaking her head at the unimportant and turning her stare to the girl who wouldn't return it. "How are you feeling?" She asked, but whether Sakura heard it or not was left for everyone to ponder. It was getting harder and harder to pull her from the universe she had in her mind—hopefully thinking of paradise—and it was only time before they lost her altogether. Conscious in the hospital and staring at the white ceiling, so many tries were made before an acknowledgement was given to the world outside the white. Life was hell though, so why would she remain in reality?

Because death came to everyone but her because death was delivered by her.

A vacancy where a response was needed turned Ryuu's head, and looking down at her he gave her hand a small squeeze in hopes that he could call her back. It was proven to be effective, and her eyes shot upwards to the woman who sat where the light shone in before looking down at the bacteria again. "Hn."

The drumming of fingers echoed within the room and Karin dreaded out the word "So," to draw it everyone's attention. Sakura glanced up at her friend with eyes, not tired, but completely submitted to the world. Haruno Sakura had given up on the life and hope she once had, and standing so broken she only appeared to be held together with tape and the hand of Ryuu. And maybe Toji had been right for saying Sakura wasn't as strong as she came off to be—not emotional wise anyways. She may be powerful, but a shinobi's emotion is their weakness, and although it was masked from the world it didn't mean it didn't exist.

"It's finally over." Karin continued carefully, when so many believed there should've been a celebration at hand for this even. _Finall_y, said to Sakura, it was _finally_ over. A single word made the process appear longer than they all wanted to believe it was, making the pain Sakura underwent to triple from their original idea.

Shaky lips pressed together with the spoken words and glimpse of pain danced behind her eyes. Using her free hand, she shield her mouth from the audience and letting out a strangled "Yeah" the tears began to fall. Her hand twisted from Ryuu immediately, and retreating herself to the window on the far side of the room, a pack of cigarettes shot from the potted plant and into her hands. Nearly breaking the window open, a cigarette was pressed between her lips and the small touch of the finger at the end lit it. Inhaled and exhaled, she let out a long sigh.

Ryuu stood off awkwardly, his heart torn between telling her to stop killing herself or allowing her to, at the same time, calm herself. His hands played with the uncombed strands of hair on his neck before they moved wiped the perspiration that vanished his face. Her habit wasn't a secret to anyone, but he said that as long as it was invisible to him, she could continue.

Her shoulder rose and lowered with every intake of poison, like Sasuke had seen her days before. Grudgingly, he glanced over at his brother whose eyes averted all gazes from those he took the seduction mission with, acquainted with their persist for him to stoop her like he had. But Leader was already at his end with anything concerning the pinkette; her leave, her death, her resurrection, her fiancee, and now her poor habit. Rising and stalking towards her to touch her—to hold her—would be the end of Itachi's life. So he was left to watch with the rest of them and did his best to ignore the flickers towards him and the flashes of irritations behind Leader's eyes.

"Sakura, just bring it over." Tsunade called, pulling the girl from her silent waves of utopia. "We need to discuss the plan to take back the Land of Snow."

Slowly complying to her wish, Sakura twisted herself around with her box of cigarettes in one hand and an ashtray in another. All but throwing the glass ashtray onto the table, she took her seat beside Karin and pulled the nicotine roll from her mouth. Skillfully, the grey air mixed in with the transparent and a musky smell filled the room to everyone's discomfort.

"But first, we need to discuss what happened a few days." Tsunade concluded, staring at her tear stained face for any other sudden reaction or burst of emotion. All they got was another puff of smoke, a shaky exhale, and the darting of eyes around the room.

Ryuu pulled a seat next to her and eyed the pack with a burning hate. His jaw twitched while he glance from her to it, and with one foul swoop it disappeared into his pockets to never be seen again. Although understanding her condition, he would have none of the shit she was spoon feeding him. She can smoke later—the single cigarette she's already smoking seemed to be enough to calm her down and she didn't need anymore poison in that body of hers. But the way she glared over at him would say otherwise. Seeming to almost look irritated and contemplating of whether or not it was worth to fight to get it back, she took in one more breath before turning to her audience. Staring at them individually, she was practically glowering at their presence.

"It's none of their business." She said evenly and tilting her head to the Hokage, she glared at her as well. "This had nothing to do with any of you."

One accidental public display and they believed this suddenly concerned them. Four years of this and there was no involvement whatsoever, and now that there had been, the result was a severely injured demon container who barely made it. The trouble she managed to conduct had been irrelevant to their lives, and would've still been irrelevant if Toji hadn't released his chakra the way he did. The only two people who were involved—who she asked to be involved—were Shikamaru and Neji, but no one else.

"_Unnecessary involvement would only cause unnecessary deaths and injuries." _It's was as though they thought she pulled that statement out of her ass the day of the Chuunin exam and needed to test it out for themselves. Ironically it had to be Naruto, for, wasn't he the one who she gave that statement to? It was always Naruto who threw himself into these situations, but it only made sense that the two jinchūriki of Konoha caused this much of a ruckus and their little sidekick Uchiha Sasuke.

"But it does with you as it does with Snow, so it does with us, Sakura. Talk: who was he?"

It wasn't hard to manipulate Sakura, as it isn't hard to manipulate anyone who has someone special to them. Though she was more "human" than the rest of Akatsuki, she was sure that she could even hold something against many of them—if they weren't dead to begin with. But that theory only supported hers, that at some point in their life there was someone who they would throw their life on the line for. It was only unfortunate for her that the people she would do that for are those within Konoha and those she has never met. Anyone dying out of her mess was an absolutely prohibited_**, **_and they knew that well. So, if refusing to talk could terminate their alliance as Tsuande had made it sound, then she had no choice but to spill out what had been eating at her.

"My fiancee." She grunted, cocking and eyebrow while shortening the cigarette by just a bit. No fucking shit.

"You know what I mean." Tsunade's voice lowered, and if she thought that could threaten her in anyway then she had another thing coming. Compared to Toji, what was the worse the Hokage of Konoha could do? Kick her out and declare war against her pupil? Send her to jail? Kill someone she loved? Being forced into the positions she stood at since her kidnapping to Akatsuki—stay or I'll kill you, stay or I'll kill everyone in Konoha, and marry me and I'll spare everyone—a simply lowering of the head and a drop in her tone of voice was a pinch compared to a stab. Hell could not get any hotter.

"I met him after I ran away from Akatsuki..." She sighed, closing her eyes to allow her mind to relive her first fall.

She was uncertain as to how long she'd been running. Two days—three days maybe? But the canvas was all the same; trees, trees, and oh look, more trees. The possibility that her travel had been in the style of a circle, but she was positive that she had headed pin straight in an opposite direction when she set foot outside the base. Relieved didn't begin to describe how she felt when she came to a clearing—her first since leaving. Dropping to her knees to catch the breath she lost long ago, she stared at the sun above the horizon of water.

She called it her dawn, her "Akatsuki". Half of her was stung by betrayal, while her left cheek stung with triumph. But that triumph was short lived when a chakra she dismissed too easily lingered too long and turning around, her eyes instinctively took its redden hue, threatening her new predator in the only way she understood how. Yeah, because green eyes and pink hair were threatening.

"That's quite a bruise you got there." Said a voice, belonging to the man who allowed himself to be distinguished from the tree he stood behind. Strolling over with a smirk on his face, he stopped dead in front of Sakura. "You better get that checked out, it looks broken."

"Listen, bud. If you're looking for a fight, you better go elsewhere—I'm not in the mood." She grunted in reply, steadying herself to stand. The burning and shaking of her thighs protested otherwise, and preparing herself for the hard ground, she was met by arms. She would've thrown herself far from him, she swore she would've. But how heavy her legs had suddenly become and how weak she finally acknowledge her body of being made something that simple impossible.

"I don't think you're in the position to make that threat, are you?" He kinda laughed, helping her to the ground where she instantly collapsed. Laying on her back and deciding he wasn't posing as a threat—just yet—she covered her face with her arms to shield the warm light from her eyes. Peeking eyes saw through the small cracked, expecting him to be watching her, and indeed he was. He only smirked and shook his head, ruffling his hair with his hands before laying down to join her with unspoken permission. "I was actually sleeping before you woke me up."

"Ah, should I apologize just yet or save my breath because you're gonna attack me when I fall asleep?" She yawned warily, too low on energy or care to cover her dry mouth or cry from the pain transmitting from her cheek. His warm chuckle tugged at her lips, jogging her memory as to how long it had been since the last time she heard such a kind laughter. Months. It had been months since someone had laughed like that, had made her feel welcomed, or at home. If the bruise wasn't already kissing up her face then maybe she would've slapped herself for expecting something so preposterous when living with S-class criminals.

"So Akatsuki will murder my ass? No way!" But how silent she fell cut his laughing short and turning to look at her red, suspicious eyes greeted him. Scratching his head, the throwing of his leg pulled his body up and staring at her he extended his hand. "I'm Toji, by the way. It's an honour to meet you, Haruno Sakura."

But she only stared at it and up at him, her eyes almost scolding him for his fatal mistake. "If you know who I am, then why don't you run?"

Run from her and the possible danger she may place him under; out of her deadly reach and the reaches of Akatsuki. Sooner or later, they would come from her or, if he didn't already know, she was efficient at killing. But hadn't she always been efficient at killing? She's been doing that long before she could talk or walk. The only thing that made a difference was the fact that she's done it intentionally for the first time, and being an Akatsuki member was enough of an excuse to do whenever she wanted. Everyone knew that, so what was this idiot doing?

"Are you gonna kill me?" He pressed, challenging her in a game she didn't know would turn to be so deadly. She was only a fool then to just laugh at the challenge, shaking her head, and allowing him to join her in sleep. Laying beside him was so peaceful that morning, it's always calm before the storm.

Sakura's lips pursed together in regret and self-hate while her eyes darted back and forth above their heads in attempt to push back the tears. If she had stuck around with Akatsuki a little longer then things would not have turned out as disastrous at it had. Her choice of membership was to prevent what turned out to be inevitable, and it she hadn't been as selfish as she was when making the decision to leave then Toji would've never found her.

Then again, if Leader hadn't punched her then remaining with them is what she would've done. But who was she to place blames on the things she couldn't control? If that were the case then reaching back sixteen years to the day she was born was reasonable enough, and placing the blames on her parents nine months prior to that was acceptable.

Even though the thoughts of others still wavered between blaming her for the massacre of the Uchiha clan and the Haruno clan there was no wavering with this. It was about time she stepped up to the plate and took blame for her actions, no one's opinions needed and no one's opinions asked. She still didn't fully understand the reason behind her appearance here to day—to tell a story which no one had experienced and left wide open to judge.

The only thing that was considered to be on the plus side was that maybe she stirred something in Pein, something like an emotion of some sort. At first she was curious of his reaction to her disappearance that night. Nothing would be out of the ordinary if her chakra didn't penetrate the base through the pores of her skin, but it would only rise the question of her lack of sleep the next day when she didn't come out of her room.

They pulled straws that afternoon, deciding who it would be to inform the leader of something he may have already known but would kill them out of pure anger. It was Kisame who screamed "fuck it" and dragged the only immortal one up the stairs and shoved him in. It was a little too quite for their liking, an eerie silence that filled the base the last time Sakura went missing and hid in the library. But this time, what followed wasn't dinner and accusations one's pervertedness, instead the flying body of a sadist—followed by a string of curses—replaced that entertainment with torments.

The door, visible of its battle scars, was of no doubt torn from it leaning position, and inside was nothing more than an unmade bed, clothes, a desk, but no Sakura. A little after they began their search they were made to believe why she was so hard to find.

Sighing out the smoke, her green eyes finally met his grey ones for what was the first time since he had punched her and she declared her hate for him."He faked my death for me and I hadn't known exactly how he did—not until I got back here and everyone told me about it." But her gaze didn't turn from his, like she knew his wouldn't turn from her. The internal torture he must have and mustn't have gone through was what she wanted to see. For him to believe she was actually dead, she only wished she was there to see his reaction. But her eyes gave that her false death tortured her more than it probably did him, because she couldn't explain the she heartbreaking feeling she stomached—for travelling with a man who set her free by sealing someone away to place no one ever returned from.

Perched on a branch in a tree sitting on the outskirts of a small town earlier that day, all her mind could wonder off to was how she dreamt of the ability walk freely among the people without stirring the lively atmosphere with fear and greed. Fear she may kill, greed for what she was and her value. They had learned the hard way over the last four weeks how famous she had become on behalf of her forced membership to the infamous group, and either they wanted her for themselves or wanted to bargain with Akatsuki.

She couldn't help but laugh at the thought, though: bargaining with Pein. He would think something such as that was too far beneath him, and knowing him, the moment he spotted her he would be on her captures like vultures. She would always remind herself that when waiting for Toji to return with the food he would steal for the both of them. Having something like pink her made her too inconspicuous, and upon spotting that, the name that would come to a person's mind would be hers. Even if that wasn't the case, the odd colour of hair would burn into the viewer's mind for days, allowing talk to travel and dangerous men to hear.

But if she knew what he had been planning then maybe she wouldn't have laughed so freely that day and dreamed of freedom. What was her freedom compared to someone's imprisonment to death? What was _her_ problem compared to someone's life? Nothing, she was irrelevant.

"I'm gonna do it." Toji warned her for the fifth time in a minute, the tip of the kunai sending waves of tingles through her neck. She could've laughed at how scared he was compared to her if doing so wouldn't put her at risk of receiving a cut to the neck.

Strangling the laugh, she told him, for the sixth time, to just do it. And after all the waiting, the sharpen tool sliced through the waterfall of pink and left her with very little to manage. Running her fingers through freshly cut hair, she couldn't recall the last time her hair had been this short. As a child she kept it at medium length because it made her feel more feminine, and growing up she couldn't bring herself to cut it. Many did for the sake of maintenance and their convenience of a shinobi, but then again, many couldn't fight without moving a muscle. Running her fingers through it again, and savouring the oddly pleasurable feel of the foreignness, she turned to finally laugh at Toji's distraught face.

"I like you're hair long."

"Mm," she chimed, taking hold of the black hair dye he had bought that day. "Me too."

It was all for the purpose of her ability to truly free herself from the burden of Akatsuki. Toji had devised a plan that would fake her death, though he hadn't told her exactly what it was. She was to remain in the cave until he returned, her hair dyed the black he stole for her that morning. If she did decide to go out, she would have to suppress the urge to use her Sharigan, for something like a third survivor of a Uchiha clan would spread like a forest fire. The idea of the three days he went missing was for scouting for a girl with similar features to Sakura never crossed her mind. If it had then maybe she would've seen the darkness sooner.

Her ability to see through lies was only used when necessarily, and who would consider travelling, stealing, and killing with and for a man who kept you alive because he wanted to a necessary situation to use it in? Not Sakura, and that had been her second mistake.

"Preformed more criminal activities with Toji than with Akatsuki." Karin snorted, knowing well the shit they had to equally contribute after a day's hunt.

They woke up around noon, destroyed their campsite, and browse the village before meeting at the assigned meeting place two hours later. Then and there they would formulate the most efficient plan to steal what was needed without detracting any attention at all. It had been a routine they've built over the months, and in the beginning Karin could only watch in awe as they came back day after day with goods and emerged from battles unwounded. They worked as an efficient criminal pair in the beginning; partners who knew each other well enough to work so well together.

"We were so free."

Her blissful expression had warmed Ryuu's heart for a moment, just a little one. But he wasn't willing to share that he felt happy for the fact that she met the guy, not even for a second. Sure the stranger had brought her temporary happiness, but in contrast to what concluded, that happiness didn't compare to the condition he left her in. She may have been happy with him at one point, but it wasn't any different than when she had been happy with Itachi or Akatsuki. Temporary wasn't promising enough for him.

Sakura sighed, recalling the days when she could wake up whenever she felt like it, slept whenever she felt like it, and travel anywhere else without needing to report to anyone. It was a simple "Let's go here" or "I'm feeling for..." and they would set off on their journey. There was no serving of the village and executing missions in order to receive your pay—she could do whatever she wanted.

When weeks went by everything started crumbling. Jobs were done sloppily and people were talking. The fact that Sakura's roots could no longer be covered by a bandana, and her refusal to dye her hair again began to trigger questions in people who spotted them. By then they were living in one of the small hideouts left behind by the deceased—killed—members from Orochimaru's, and then was when she got her brilliant idea that sent everything spiralling downhill.

Mistake number three.

"From time to time, we would hunt down the bases owned by Orochimaru in order to find Sasuke." Sakura continued, her face dry of tears and cigarette dead. And although weakened by her emotional state, nothing in her could urge her to forfeit the glaring contest with the said man. Her swollen eyes were mocking him, reminding him of the destruction she caused for her small revenge for stealing Sasuke. Twelve bases and hundreds of members were lost during that first years, and as hard as he worked he hadn't a clue who the culprits were. Yet the mastermind behind all the attacks sat in front of him and for the time being, out of reach.

"Penetrating one of the larger bases which Karin was at, it was the first time I ever seen him use that power."

"Wow, it's been a really long time since I had such a good fight." Sakura had when her was pressing against his as the circle of men drew in closer. Looking around with Sharigan eyes, understanding none of them would live to tell the tail of "the third Uchiha", she calculated their next attack. Eliminating smaller bases with little hope of finding Sasuke, but purely for the sake that Orochimaru wouldn't pose as much of a threat to Konoha, she decided a week earlier that it was time that she sought out Sasuke.

She just didn't figure it would turn out like this.

"You may be a demon container, but don't push yourself too hard." Toji warned, seeing the drainage of Neko's chakra from Sakura's overuse. The place was ginormous, filled with experiments-gone-wrong and hundreds of members. The most they've ever faced at a time was a maximum of two hundred, but from the looks of it, there was probably five hundred more on top of the couple hundreds that surrounded them.

One ear and out the other, Sakura left him when the sentence ended. Tearing her body through the crowd of men, dozens laid in their own blood and killed by their own swords. Two stone walls rose from her side and shield her from an attack Toji couldn't even say she knew was coming, and pushing the men aside, the earth rose from beneath her feet and sent her rocketing into the blue abyss which allowed her and Toji a better view—after he followed her lead.

"There must over a thousand of them here." She whispered, staring up at the sky in hopes it would rain. But the only elements she was lift to work with was air, earth, and fire, and although they were as deadly in her hands as it was, water was her preferred use. Snapping her fingers, blue static danced onto the men below. Howls of pain fell silent to her ears as her body pumped more adrenaline when her eyes registered more members travelling down the hill.

She only hoped that Sasuke was inside along with Orochimaru and that the attack would killing two birds with one stone. That conclusion formed with how many came to defend this base, but the only good coming out of it was realizing that there was more to her partner in crime than the fact that he could assemble good plans and steal.

When she rose her hand and the swirling of chakra had prepared her for another blow of blue lightning—this time anticipated to be twenty times stranger and travel must further— Toji had barked for her to stay where she was and descended from their mini safe haven of earth. Disappearing into the ocean of men, Sakura knelled to pear over the small, Neko-made cliff. Standing below were not the men who raced down the hill earlier, but a single man with unfathomable power which she had never seen or felt before—but soon would.

Sakura's body shuddered at the memory, at the warning that she needed to run after seeing what he could do. Parts of her shouted that he was as powerful as Pein, but failed to mention that he was practically like him personality wise as well.

"His power, what is it?" Kakashi questioned, recalling that all he ever did was touch them both and the hospital reports stated that he had shattered the bones in Naruto's arm, and every other bone in Sakura's body—excluding the spin, neck, and skull. It was only a miracle that they recovered as quickly as they did when Lee, after Gaara had broken the bones in his arm and leg, had to undergo many operations and took weeks to heal. Only a miracle blessed by their demons, and a little part of him was envious of it.

Reaching over to the glass of water, she took tiny sips while her eyes flickered around innocently. The thirst she was building in the room straightened everyone's back while they stared at her and Karin for being the only two who truly knew the source of his strength. Even if Naruto felt it, Sasuke could bet you his description of it would be more descriptive and childish—making references to whatever he could. Yet at the same time, he didn't know _what _it was altogether.

It was cute that they thought whatever it was they would have the ability to obtain it, completely disregarding the fact that she possessed the weapon to do just that but had not demonstrated once that she had.

"It's a bloodline." She said bluntly, ending the dreams of many. "He has an insatiable amount of chakra—exceeding Kurama's—in him that it's a weapon. He can release so much of it for a long period of time. He sees with it, feels with it—but if he released enough it can destroy everything around him."

Her voice dropped to a whisper and she allowed one of her fingers to pick at the itch made home on the back of her head. Licking her lips, she took a very deep breath, and her eyes grew dark—so much darker. "But when he touches you, he can pump his chakra through your body and see and feel everything inside. He can destroy you from the inside out."

But she didn't shiver, didn't shudder when many did their best to suppress theirs. Growing so used to the touch, so used to the way his chakra danced through her body and attacked it like a drum was her name of the game for one whole year, and what she had prepared for for the rest of her life. At this point, especially after last week's attack, she hadn't readjusted herself into believing that that was the last time she would ever feel that again. Even with her three years of liberty, he visited from time to time just to see her, just to kiss her, and just so her could get the satisfactory reminding her of him the best way he knew how.

The warm look in his eyes was replace with blood lust and greed after he had proven himself to be stronger than her—and everyone gets their kicks out of that, don't they? What she settled in calling home turned into a nightmare once again, and the calm was replaced with a storm which she didn't prepared for.

"He was so charming, so kind, and so caring in the beginning; it never crossed my mind that he had so much anger and the hunger for power built up inside of him." She all but grunted, smiling bitterly at the same old thought she had for everyone. _It never crossed my mind_, she would say, _because I was stupid enough to not let myself read theirs._ "But that's how they always are in the beginning—always."

Her "always" was accompanied by direct eye contact to the two men who played a very important role in her life. Besides Ryuu—who had sent his fair share of glare throughout Sakura's horror story—Itachi and Pein had been the only two others she truly cared for and turned their backs on her the exact same way Toji did. The way she looked like she was trying to kill Itachi with her eyes was understandable, but the way it would flicker to the head of Akatsuki was a story left untold.

"He began calling me names and he usually apologized afterwards, but from then on things escalated." Sakura recalled dimly, not truly remembering when it was when he had first cursed at her, but knowing that it hadn't just came to physical abuse first off. She didn't understand why she hadn't left them like she just left Akatsuki when it started with just that, and even now she didn't understand.

Maybe it was because she had came to him, had chose on her own to be with him in the beginning that it never occurred to her that she should leave—especially when name called was so little compared to the fact that he helped her all those months.

Fourth mistake.

"Push came to shove and throwing curses at me became throwing punches at me..."

Domestic violence, Naruto called it, and she had told herself when she left Akatsuki that she would never fall a victim to it again. Itachi got his one punch, and Pein got his one and a half. But Toji...she lost count a little ways past three hundred and knowing now it was no where close to that small number. She had left abruptly when Pein punched her once—once—but stayed even after it reached the triple digit mark.

"You could've left."

She had every intention to when verbal abuse came physical, but if it was that easy she would've done it after the first attempt .They said it like it was so easy, like something like this was easily compared to that of Akatsuki. _If leaving Akatsuki was so easy, then leaving him would've been easier, right?_ It may have been if she had a place to run to, and if it was she would not be giving an oral presentation as to how she didn't. She only shook her head, a little in daze while she made a fist under the table. Ryuu's hand was on her immediately, prying at her hands to prevent the small bleeding she caused whenever she subconsciously did the act out of pure anger.

It was habit he wasn't sure he was glad she never grew out of. In a way it reminded him that the Sakura he raised was still in there, finding its way out through small gestures and actions. The person Sakura had transformed into would not be the butterfly that remained, for she was still in her cocoon fighting her way out of the broken body she was trapped in.

"I left countless times, but he always found me." Sakura whispered, a tear rolling down her cheek after being absent for so long. "The first time he ever used it on me was after my first attempt."

"You shouldn't have left." He told her, staring at her passive form. Every breath sent a stab of pain through her chest and back, making her wince every now and then while trying her best not to cry out in pain. She hadn't looked his way since last night, when he took her by the arms and sent his chakra through her for the first time. "Look at what you made me do."

She only closed her eyes with the seeping of information travelling to her brain. Maybe she would've let out a chuckle if it didn't hurt so bad, but if breathing was as excruciating as it was then she didn't want to try her luck with a deep rumbling in her throat. Every person was free in the sense that they lay responsible for their actions, be it provoked or impulse. Unless she hadn't sensed Sasori for the last few days, which she hadn't since she left, then he was liable for the "punishment" he forced on her the night before.

She's met people like these, and it took no energy to figure why they hadn't held any contact—besides the fact that she was supposedly dead. It was easy to place blames on her because with enough support, she may believe in it. However, on a case like this she knew firmly that she was as responsible for his action as she was responsible for Pein's. Because it really was her fault that he had an ego the size of the Fire Country and an anger evenly heated. Bull fucking shit.

"How about you st...stop blaming me a...nd start owning u-up to your own actions?" She strained, deciding that death was more appealing than this pain.

Green peeked out from half-open lids, and inch by inch she tilted her head his way to allow him to witness how much pain he left her in; physically and emotionally. Besides the anger the was probably what kept her alive, she was disappointed and sadden by the change of events. Or maybe, there wasn't a change of events at all, but just a replay—reenactment done twenty times better than the last.

"I apologized." The snarl sent Karin back further into the corner, away from the mess Sakura allowed her to drag her into when convincing her that they should run three weeks earlier. It was a thought sent from the heavens that had taken the wrong turn when they let their guards down, and it was the simple fact that Sakura made him promise to never do _that _to Karin again that she was spared from the torment.

It was the first time Sakura had healed in her life, with whispers of instructions of Karin, and that was how she even got as far as they did. Discovering her unique ability to heal and sense chakra, Toji decided that they would keep her after she was fully healed. Though Toji was blunt and cold towards her, Sakura was a bit more welcoming although she didn't speak to her much in the beginning. It had only surprised Karin that Sakura invited her to run away from Toji a little ways after he began his change in charatcer, and considering what they were both put through by him, she deciding that it was a good idea.

Sakura said she would get Karin a place to live somewhere, so she didn't have to bear the burden of constant travelling and camp outs. Sakura couldn't follow through with that luxury on her part, because her supposed death made that impossible. But death made bliss possible, and there wasn't a doubt in Karin's mind at the time that Sakura thought of that while she wore the facade of a strong warrior.

"Apo-hologies comes with a pr...promise of chan-ange." Sakura retorted warily, silently and distastefully amused at her recitation of Yuuki's words to an upset Toji. "If I w-wanted to...be treat-ed l-ike this than...I would h...ave stayed with Akatsuki."

In some way it was a compliment to their power, and in others it was an insult to be compared to a human such as him. Either way she was positive neither cared for it because if they could murder without remorse than they could treat her like shit without doing so much as breathing—even if compared to a man who nearly killed his fiancee. But that statement shed some light to the conditions she lived in during her stay, for those who knew nothing because she chose to reveal nothing.

"Where was their base?" They asked her, and she only shrugged and said she stayed in the ones located in the mountains.

"How many were there?" They continued to press on, and she said at least eight. When asked for the information she gathered during her stay, she only shrugged and said they never discussed anything around her. And when insulted into being a poor Konoha shinobi who thought of only herself, she challenged them in asking if they would've stuck around to snoop or left when they got the chance.

Bits and pieces of her burned with the little bits of love she still kept aflame for Pein and Itachi, though she wouldn't be telling either of them that soon. Though what happened, happened, death of them and of Konoha couldn't even fall under revenge or fairness, and that was what kept her from ratting them out. She knew where they would strike, when they would strike, how many people there were and their ability by watching them train and sitting outside during meetings. The base, she knew where that was too, but sending troops there was suicidal when at least two members occupied the base at all times and others were constantly coming in and out.

She bathed in the idea that she was doing this to protect Konoha, when in the farthest part of her conscious mind she knew it was all in favour for Pein. She wouldn't be telling him that either.

"I was out of commission for a week after his first blow. It cracked the bones in my arms and legs in hundreds of ways, making it impossibly painful to preform hand seals." She reminded them, the word _cracking_ making it so much more gruesome than her choice of the word breaking which was used earlier. Breaking a bone or cracking it, maybe in one way or two, was as painful as it got for internal damage. But in a hundred was made it impossible to relate and every atom of them didn't want to understand how that felt. "But it got easier afterwards. Healing was faster and the pain was something I was used to."

A small smile peeked from her strained lips and she picked at the patches of skin on her neck again. Her eyes went daze again, staring blankly at the table with a distant look mixed of nostalgia and disgust. Pain was something she grew accustom too, more than the average shinobi. It was only human instinct to avoid it when possible, but Toji had forced her into throwing herself into it at every opportunity that came forth.

Many of the injuries that left her to be hospitalized were easily avoided, yet when it came to, she would throw herself in front of her teammates to take the attack—saving herself from the pain of seeing them die and conditioning herself for when she would meet Toji again. A mind preoccupied with the idea of seeing her fiancee again made living in Konoha less gratifyingthan it should've been.

All she had ever yearned for since her kidnapping to Akatsuki was to return to the place where she had someone who genuinely cared for her and embraced her presence. She fought for these people, gave her life up for these people, and in return it made her a little sore.

"I couldn't leave anymore." And those eyes sparked with a bit of life with them again. They flicker to Pein and beamed at him directly in the eye as her next words would demonstrate their similarities and haunt him unknowingly. "He threatened to kill everyone if I did."

Sasuke's eyes flickered from the older man and Sakura, aware that the intensity in which she glared at him was more than a simple reminder to her once superior of his same actions, but a reminder of betrayal to a person who was more. It was far more personal than "You did the same thing" to "Does this remind you of someone?" It asked the dangerous question which was accompanied by many hidden emotions that didn't go unnoticed.

Had anyone suspected that the orange guy sitting in the centre of all of the Akatsuki members was the reason Sakura didn't return with them when they encountered her in Snow? Yes, that was the first thing on anyone's mind when they met the mysterious leader. Although, the only people who did question their relationship being far more personal than superior and inferior was Kakashi and Sasuke, recalling Deidara's words regarding his health vs. hers when they clashed in Snow.

Their priding eyes made Deidara a little uneasy, realizing why it was only those two who seemed to catch the emotion behind her voice when even the Hokage and her "father" did not. It was because _he _clued them in with his exclamation for Leader's concern for her health, and if Leader had caught that, Sakura wouldn't be there to demand he be allowed to live again. Not when he rejected her the night she needed a place to sleep and she was forced to sleep in the dungeon full was dust, spiders, and previously rotted bodies.

"You could've gone back to Akatsuki." Sasuke muttered, meeting her eyes as she glanced back at him and to Pein who waited for her answer as to why she didn't and why she allowed herself to live in such cruel conditions. At least with him she had a place to sleep and was rarely harmed, only children would put their emotions before what was necessary.

The remark had caught most of them off guard, but when Ryuu nodded in agreement it only dawned on them that the choice of them may have been best choice. The man was Sakura's guardian after-all, an ANBU shinobi who wasn't ignorant to who the nine men one girl in the room were. If listening to all of this and he agreed that she was better off with Akatsuki, then maybe that was true.

Fisting his hands in front of his lips while still holding her left hand, he closed his eyes as if begging her for mercy. Like she could've traveled back in time and done just that, then maybe his soul would be at piece.

"He could've and would've killed them all." The redhead snorted, shaking her head while she chuckled to herself and staring at staring at Sasuke with a mocking smirk.

Waiting for Sakura to hush Karin for the act completely out of line left them high and dry, and Sakura only glanced at Karin before at Pein, taking in how his eyes narrowed slightly. Knowing him, he wasn't threatened by the statement but more that his pride and ego was. He would still go up against the person who knew could defeat him without hesitation rather than see himself as a coward for backing out.

And in that moment, it felt like the signed contract really existed as it was—only for it to disappear and intimidate them all. The restriction that weighed them out and prevented them from attacking each other diminished with his killing intent, making the room a tad bit uneasy to sit in.

"I considered it at one point, but Karin's right."

Sakura finally admitting, regretfully feeling like a piece of her own pride was lost with that statement like the very night she found herself staring up at the mountains that contained their base. Her demon chakra was just too strong, and leaving so would mean leaving Karin behind to deal with Toji wrath. She never held it against the girl, but she knew when that day came Karin would turn her back and decided to help Toji for her own benefits. Besides, her choice to turn the other way allowed her two weeks of peace before she slipped up again and ran.

"And I'm not saying this because I have a grudge against Akatsuki; I'm saying this because no matter how you attacked him, even if you came at him all at once, he could still be able to break every bone in your body, crush every organ, and pop every blood vessel without even opening his eyes."

Scenarios after scenarios of how Akatsuki would kill him played in her mind, and she had taken it as far as mentally prepared herself with those thoughts when coming to the fact that Akatsuki would lock her up afterwards. But no matter how she looked at it, the chances of it happening became clearer once she saw more and more of his power. Now matter who came at him, he would reflect them, and no matter how they defended themselves, he would destroy that.

"Actually...Kisame might've been the only one able to kill him, but that would only be because of his sword." She muttered, glancing at the fish who half-heartedly chuckled when commented on being one of the strongest members in that light. His sword, actually, but he didn't see anyone else carrying a sword like his. His acknowledgement was half-lived as her eyes narrowed slightly in thought, and raising her head she sneered at them. "However, I wasn't gonna crawl back on my hands and knees to the them. I'd rather suffer."

"He's a monster."

Normally Sakura would glare, flinch, and sneer at the choice of wording, but the way she only nodded in agreement meant that there was more to it than she already told them. The pain she expressed through short phases of crying didn't do her justice—especially when the word she hated most was the word agreed most with. She had believed that no one was a monster. She believed that they were all human and were no different from the person next to them, in front of them, or behind them in the sense that they were equal disregarding power.

Yet she thought quite contrary when Itachi deemed it impossible to change her mind. Even when she looked at him after murdering his family, there was only warmth and sadness, never disgust for the monster he knew he became.

"_I chose_ to kill him." She stated, licking her lips before biting down on them. "I tried six times before I came back to Konoha, and every single time the only thing I could get on him was maybe a burn and a small scratch."

Like how she burnt him when she fought him, though she felt triumph that the burn was bigger than the last time she tried it. Against elements, Neko was the strongest, but against his barrier of chakra that kept hacking away at their attack, she was almost useless. Last time she was in Konoha she said it would be impossible for a genin to defeat a demon container, and man she grateful that neither her or Gaara had to go up against Toji.

If that statement hadn't made anyone else lose hope for an event occurring in the past, then the way her face changed from nervousness to depression with her next statement did. Stating her choice to kill someone without it being in the spur of the moment and how she attempted it twice made her twenty times was more terrifying than the girl who was kidnapped for Akatsuki—and also stronger. Her ability to overlook her own personal beliefs for the sake of Karin and her safety showed that was aware when she could and couldn't act at given times, even if the next statement truly demonstrated her degree of pain.

"Then we travelled to the Land of Snow and I couldn't fight him anymore." Her voice drifted with her statement, floating about in the air for all of them adsorb and contemplate the severity of her sacrifices. Her last attempt left him dead, and she withheld from that for the sake of a life she hardly knew. Had she not then maybe she would've freed herself sooner and things would have never escalated, but a simple life was all it took for her to come up to the conclusion to stop and she never questioned it afterwards. "He behaved in front of Onii-san, acting as he had like the day I met him."

The word _Onii-chan_ left many in wonder. Last time they had all checked, the only family she had was herself and other survivors were unheard of—expect Haku, which only Kisame and Itachi knew of, but even then he was dead. This mysterious Onii-san was mentioned once briefly during Pein and Sakura's last, sophisticated conversation, but he had been to distracted by her tears and her defence on Deidara to give it much mind.

Three years since Itachi met Sakura, he had only found out that she had a cousin a little too late, and four years later she had a brother whom she protected with her life. That little pouty girl he saved from Ami on that warm day in August, one who lived with a man only ten years older and was very much a kid himself, didn't exist anymore. The little flower didn't cling to him, didn't wish for him, and didn't think of him like she used to do and instead she had a separate life of her own. That theory had been true for a while now, but the idea of it had never been digested.

Sakura and Deidara made eye-contact then, since he seemed to be the only one who knew her brother well enough that this was one thing that could stand on even terms for. He nodded in understanding, and nearly jumped from his skin by the glare Leader sent him.

"But at night..."

Karin's statement drew them all in and the word night lured them into thinking of an act far worse than the ones already committed to Sakura. Ryuu's head snapped at stare at her in horror and many in the room failed to notice the way Leader was glaring daggers at her face, like in someway it would reach Toji in his afterlife. Sakura smirked a little and shook her head, lifting it up to stare at the ceiling and she spoke to it instead of them.

"He asked me to marry him..." Her voice had a hint of amusement and as they watched their eyes flickered to the hand still dressed in the gold and green ring—in constantly being twisted with the fingers of her opposite hand. Long eyelashes shield her eyes when she tilted her head down to look at it, like it was the first time she had ever seen the thing, and her eyes softened. "I refused at first, but then we made a bargain: If I agreed to it, he wouldn't hurt anyone I loved and would give me three years in Konoha, be it in prison or as a free citizen."

And arriving back, so many thought that she would spend the rest of her days in prison for the crimes she committed and only now did they understand why she endured it. But she still held no hatred or anger towards the people who imprisoned her, and still didn't after countless arrests , interrogations, and accusation made towards her. Well, that one time in the cellar didn't count since her hand punched her, but her action was out of impulse—they would like to remind themselves—and she never harboured such a murderous intent towards anyone but her uncle and her fiancee.

Marriage in exchange for the lives of people she hadn't seen in months. If was getting harder to doubt her after what Kakashi had witness. If that statement was true, then her statement about Akatsuki couldn't be any more truer. There wasn't a devious plan cooking to destroy the village if she had her bones broken countless time and agreed to marry the man behind it. Kakashi had said that she grew up way too fast, and the woman in her was shown through those small cracks of broken bones and hallow eyes.

"He agreed and said he would come for me when the time came for it."

"Then you ran into him on the last mission." Karin finished, turning to her before looking up to meet the people placed under potential danger. Kisame snorted, turning to look at Itachi then Sasuke to check if he was the only one surprised by the news. When and where did they ever run into that guy? He didn't remember feeling a demonic presence anywhere. She should've just killed him then if that was the case; Kisame did have his sword to help. Leaning into her, similar to a threat and mockery all in one, Karin whispered: "But you broke that deal."

Sakura held her breath and her face turned stone, almost angry at the accusation. Turning to Karin she replied with a "No, he broke the deal first." and a glare, and staring back up at the friendly ceiling, another tear retraced the dried lines. "He hurt Ren."

* * *

**Well, it looks like Sakura survived and isn't with her lovely fiancee. Hope you enjoy how she's slowly letting her emotions out now. See, all anyone really needs is a good vent and someone to talk to and they'll feel better. Sakura, honey, had been emotionless for too long (three years) so let's consider this as Sakura's birthday present (: **

**I don't Naruto or any of its original character.**

**xoxo**


	13. With the Uchiha

**Chapter Fourteen: With the Uchiha**

* * *

A part of Kakashi panicked at the thought of their good-for-nothing standing in this situation. A member's refusal to help may turn the already heated situation hotter—deadlier—and there was nothing Kakashi could do to prevent that. The one sitting farthest to the left, at the end of the table, may be a temporary solution, but that wasn't so promising. Blinded with fear and overwhelmed with the sense of uselessness caused one to do drastic things—losing one's mind did its part in that too. If that were the case now, the results wouldn't be pretty .

If Sakura fell back into her state of hysteria again and Itachi didn't pull her out, then she could attack anyone. There were two ways that Sakura cried to which Kakashi was aware of: One, a silent one where her eyes cried but was remained unnaturally, unmoved, and two, downright bawling her eyes out until she lost her mind. And as of right now, it wasn't the first one.

Her shoulders shook as she covered her mouth and lowered her face to the table. Clenching and unclenching his fist released his anxiety—anything to calm himself from the breathtaking high Sakura was putting him through. Only when she gently rejected Ryuu's soothing hand and sat herself straight did he finally come down.

Alright, so maybe there was third way she cried. Not just one of a blank Sakura or hysterical one, but one that proved that she was coming back around to being just Sakura. That she could show her emotions again, that she could cry again , and that she wasn't some killing machine who bottled up every emotion under the sun.

But not in the way Akatsuki did. Kakashi genuinely believed that they hardly felt anything because they cared very little for anything, not that they bottled it up. There was a great difference between Konoha and Akatsuki and it was simply that. The unity of Konoha shinobis only teaches one to _hide _their emotions, while the binding of Akatsuki teaches one not to feel. That alone shows that Sakura was more Konoha than she was Akatsuki, concluding Kakashi' s ongoing doubt in her.

This was it.

Ever since the mission a week ago, she was dressing herself with more emotions than she had in years. Should he be glad that she was appropriating touched and killed her fiancee? He'll like his sub conscious decide that, feeling safer that he would only half knew the answer in Sakura's presence.

"Nobody should've gotten hurt because of me." She breathed, pulling the collar of her shirt over the bridge of her nose and tilting her face into it. It concealed her face a little less than before, leaking out the old Sakura with tears.

Especially not Ren—not when he had more than enough to deal with on her behalf. Not much had ever been spoken of him and the only people knowing of his existence mostly consisted of those sitting within the room. All of Team Seven, the Hokage, Deidara, and Pein, plus the many more who were once oblivious to the fact.

In actuality, the rest of the world didn't even know there was a prince of the Snow country or questioned how it was r an throughout the previous years. Snow h ad been a secretive nation since the war over a decade ago that its existence h ad slipped under the radar because of it.

"It's over now, Sakura." Tsunade hushed from across the room, a little pained that Sakura didn't respond to her words. " That's all that matters."

Funny, that didn't seem to matter to her in the slightest sense. Tsunade's false sense of comfort died in Sakura with on e glance at the woman's face, of who sh e was, and of what she wasn't. Sure, she was the Hokage; a sannin, one of the greatest medic, but that basically summed i t up. Those were two things which she ha d chosen to be. But she wasn't a demon container or a princess who were constantly targeted for what they were.

Granted, Tsunade could step down from the title of Hokage anytime she wished, while screaming "Fuck it" to being a princess or a demon container didn't mean squat. To put it short, Sakura was cursed for life.

"But is it really over?" Sakura asked, her tone drowning them with enough uncertainty to not answer that question to themselves. "How long will it be before someone else comes after me? How long will it be before I put you all in danger again?"

Tsunade's mouth hung open to answer that, prepared to tell her to calm down and stop thinking so cynically until the realization of how rational the question was became clear. Her history of getting mixed up in uncommon situations that were beyond the village' s help made it more reasonable than any one wished to believe, and the way Sakura 's green eyes glanced in the general direction of Akatsuki didn't ease Tsunade's worry.

Ryuu rubbed her back firmly, trying to usher her into believing that no one else would but in return all he received was a long sigh that held the accusation of their ignorance. She resorted to shaking her head and laughing bitterly to herself. In a sense it was mocking the Akatsuki because she kept looking back at them with this wicked, disappointed grin before looking back at the blonde woman.

"That's all they ever want, shishou: me. Akatsuki wants my demon, Toji wanted to marry me so he could be King, produce offsprings who had all three bloodlines, and be recognize as the most powerful man alive." She said matter-of-factly, raising her eyebrow and daring them to disagree with her statement. Her choice of using the present tense of _want _didn't go unnoticed, but the mention of producing offsprings conquered their sense of direction. "That's all I'm ever surrounded with in my life: insecure, egotistic assholes who want my demon, my bloodline, and my country so they can feel good about their poor selves."

And if Pein was going to attack her for stating something something of absolute truth then she would gladly beat him black and blue. Facing death as many times as she had, they only figured it didn't scare her enough not to insult Akatsuki the number of times that she had. Living with them was another thing—and her relationship with the leader was something Kakashi even want to get into, knowing he'd be clawing at it for days.

Tired was enough of an excuse for her to release what she had been bottling inside, and fed up was more than enough for her to attack. Completely fed-up with playing the role of a victim of greedy men who wanted power, she'll give them a reality check that took a long time coming . They thought they were so great, believed they deserved respect, she'd beg to differ. They were no different than insecure woman, searching for security by being complete hypocrites to others . It was all the same: feel better by belittling others.

It reached a point where it wasn't just strangers anymore, but the people they once cared for, and she just couldn't take that anymore.

She was on an emotional roller coaster that had hit rock bottom and stayed there not too long ago. With it up and running, with nothing like forced contention holding it down, she was up one minute and down the other, hitting loops like she never had with no stability. Tears streaked her face and her brows knitted with anger, glaring specifically at the leader who did nothing but glare back at her previous comment.

It was a typical thing that she had expected from him, but still, she hoped that he had taken it more as an eye opener instead of letting his pride blind his distorted vision.

"My uncle, my best friend, my fiancee." She mumbled, categorizing them as identical people and if Pein couldn't see that as a bad thing then she didn't know how else to get to him. It wasn't completely true that they were the same people, but in this interpretation they were. If he was proud to be like her fiancee, then she hadn't a reason to hold back in killing him too, now would she? "Who's next?"

"Don't get your panties all twisted in a knot." Ami sneered, annoyed with this pathetic sob story which had no end. "He's dead, get over."

An outburst of some sort was expected fr om the pinkette—now that she was fresh with feelings again. Giving no reply, her face was held a longing look that Ryuu had seen on her many times, but not of recently. The comment had done a 180 on her mentality, so it seemed, and she was back to her preteen years again.

On random nights she sat in front of the large window in their apartment and just stare at the moon. She sat there and waited and waited for what was probably an eternity with tears in her eyes for someone who wasn't sure would return. She had been ten when it started, and around eleven when the nights which she stayed up grew further apart. She slept in class, Iruka's reports would say, and Ryuu couldn't do anything to change that.

"You loved him?"

It pose more a statement then it did a question, and deciding not to answer the mind-boggling accusation, she simply smiled a smile that could break the coldest of hearts—though Akatsuki were appear unnaturally in tact.

They couldn't ignore the way the room held it's breath. Like the oxygen had been stripped away with that very question and they were left to suffocate until she answered.

Kakashi"s brow knitted together and Sasuke's eyes slightly widen. The news hit harder than a blow to the stomach with his chidori. It was an idea that never crossed their minds once—not with how determined she was on killing Toji. But she always had that theory: one life compared to a whole village and she would abide by until the day she did die. Should they be as surprised to hear that she kill e d someone she loved for the sake of others? They weren't sure why they were.

The way Karin stiffened at the statement gave way to their uncertainty long ago while Sakura did nothing to acknowledge it. Held together with skin and hair, underneath was a strong warrior who had proven her worth long ago. If killing the one you loved for the sake of others did n't prove that she was no longer a child , then Pein really needed to redefine what a child meant.

"I cared." Sakura corrected, easing the room the slightest.

She cared for the monster, and even without the love part in that equation, they couldn't comprehend how she even managed that. She hadn't expected them to either way, because she hadn't expected herself to do so after so long. But there was no use in lying about how she didn't when tears gave her away before the meeting even started.

"Every time he finished, he would light himself a cigarette and give me a puff." She began softly, her fingers reaching forward to caress the ashtray and all of its poison. "The attacks used to be wee ks apart, but the intervals came closer and closer with each attack—but every single time he would light himself a cigarette."

Her face contorted into a thoughtful that no one else understood, and maybe she was just crazy all these years. Her lack of speech and facial expression concealed it, but Kisame would say its about ti me they threw her in the looney bin.

Or maybe it was that Stockholm Syndrome.

"I used to think he used attacking me as an excuse to smoke, but when I asked him why...He knew smoking killed him, and at that time I didn't know how to heal the effects yet. He told himself that every time he hurt me, he would smoke to hurt himself, hoping it would stop him ." She mumbled again, still staring at the cigarette with this sentimental looked that should've been disgusting—but wasn't, yet didn't feel so out of place. "I knew that every time I tasted a cigarette that the attack had stopped for what may have been once and for all."

Sasuke stared at her wondrously, finally understanding that need of hers the night of the mission, and it came flooding back into his mind. But he still had no guilt for trying to stop her—and no hate that his brother did manage to.

"That's why..." He edged, stealing her attention. She nodded in reply as her fingers played with a stand of pink hair that had been tucked behind her ear countless times before, but she was fidgeting with it, if Sasuke had ever seen her fidget.

Her hunger for nicotine intensified after every battle, after every horrific event, and after every kill to falsely encourage her to believe that worse had ended and she was allowed peace. It was a nasty habit she wasn't proud of owning, but even when trying to quit she hadn't readjusted to living without it like she hadn't readjusted to Toji's death. Urging herself along, she would be able to hold back until the worsts of missions and battles that were unfortunately dated weeks apart. But nothing topped off what happened that night in the little quiet village in the Fire Country, and she _needed_ that false sense of belief that it wouldn't ever happen again.

It just so happened that Itachi had been just that, taking away her safe haven, and forcing her to accept him instead. In her subconscious she probably already did, but consciously she pushed the idea away with full knowledge that like the cigarette he could only grant her temporary relief. To accept Itachi as her savour, a s a hero who would protect her always was a demonstration of weakness she got over a little but after he punched her—allowing a small slip because her mind wasn't in the right place that evening . Accepting that weakness was accepting him and his father and she wasn't about to d o that.

"I never take seduction missions." She stated, glancing at the blond woman with what hoped she took as a reminder and warning. "I _can't_ handle them."

The thought of her seduction mission turned Ryuu's head instantly. For it being a part that she left out in her illegal briefing to him the night before she left his eyes narrowed. It had been wise of her keep that part secret from him, for if he had known what it was then he would've objected to it instantly and even tried to stop her. Growing up he had known s he couldn't handle such a task and she did her best to avoid it by exceeding to ANBU where most missions were basic executions of high rank criminals. Yet she went behind his back to took one anyways, all for the sake of the organization that kicked her to the curb to be picked up by that man.

But a new thought broke through him like a dam. One that was much more horrifying than the seduction mission which she returned from with only a bit of poison —in place of the Rophenol if that helped with anything.

Grabbing her by the wrist, he forced her attention his way. And in a low, dangerous voice he asked "Did he touch you?"

The first thing that came as a reply was to ask him what he thought if she had her bones broken over a hundred times, but then the smart reply subsided when the true meaning was understood. A small shake of her head sent relief to surge through him, putting him out of the frustration that if Toji had touched her Ryuu wouldn't be able to do anything about it now.

"I would go missing for days on end until I was certain all I would get was my bones broken and he had settled his desires with someone else."

A small look in the eye was all it took for her legs to become weak with anxiety and her stomach to flutter with anticipation. The first time she saw that look in his eyes, her first idea was to run a s far as she could and that was exactly what she did. It was routinized afterward that he understood his pursuit on her was futile because despite his power she had the will and speed to prevent him from putting his plan into action.

She settled it once and for all by saying she'd submit to that idea on their wedding night, and understanding that he settled some thing that was much worse than what Sakura may have been able to endure for the time being.

"You don't know how many girls were raped and killed because I couldn't handle it..." Sakura continued, pulling her hand away from him in disgust and shame. "I should've just let him."

For obvious reasons, Ryuu would've just accepted a "no". The angst whisper of "so many times" from Karin did nothing to assist his mood as adrenaline began pumping through his body—accompanied by boiling hot blood infested with his anger.

For his own child to wish the horrid fate of rape to befall on her again was enough for him to wish death on himself in order to meet the bastard in the after life and beat him back into the living. Her life with the Akatsuki didn't sound as appalling as her life with this man, and that was exactly where he wished she would've remained—even if it meant seeing her later than he was allowed to.

Slamming his hand on the wooden table was all it took to get a startled reaction out of Sakura that Kakashi had been waiting years to see. Even if he hadn't expected the reason to be this—though he didn't feel so honoured when there were twenty other people in the room.

"Dammit Sakura! I would've preferred you with the goddamn Uchiha!" His voice boomed throughout the room, threatening them more with his words than the volume of it. "At least he only hit you once! "

Jaw twitching and gaze torn between Ryuu and the Uchiha who had unnoticeable stiffened in the room, she adorned the look of amused disbelief that said she hardly believed he had said that aloud. Sakura was _once with_ Uchiha Itachi, and he had hit her _once._ If Orochimaru hadn't sent him the a glare, Sasuke would've been on his feet and at his brother one second and Sakura next. If Pein didn't beat him to the punch that is.

Their attention had transferred from her to Itachi in a matter of words, and if said person wasn't so accustomed to gracing such a blank stare then some would've distinguished the small fear that gave birth in him under the threatening aura of both Pein and Ryuu. But cracking wood brought their attention back to her.

"If I had things my way, I wouldn't have been with either of them!" She retorted, lifting her hand from the large indent on the table and pointing in the general direction of Itachi. And before their attention could switch again, Ryuu kept them in place by suddenly standing with his hands up in surrender.

"Why do you put yourself though these things, Sakura? Why do you put me through these things?" His words tugged at the strings on her heart although her expression stayed firm. His back was to her one moment, and in the next she was met with a desperate face. "I can't take this anymore."

And he thought she could, she wanted to laugh. If she had things her way none of this would've happened and she would raise a world of children who didn't feel like they were deprived of power with the need to seek it. What an ideal world that would be.

Sitting in a room with Akatsuki reminded her that the world like that would take generations to build.

Overflowing with emotions, she stood up in her own anger, disappointment, and excitement. Years of oppression caused the cap she had on her feelings to crack and her own body radiated with a heat that was enough to warm up the entire room by a degree or two.

"Should I apologize on behalf of all the abusive parents and their parents?" She questioned, leaning forward and shortening the distance between her guardian and herself.

Because that all it ever took to raise a child who would turn out like Itachi or Toji. They weren't as fortunate as her to be raised by a Ryuu, who was as much as kid as she was, who let her do what she pleased with minimal restrictions. To live with a person who was full of love and compassion with the fear of hurting her, yet displayed very little of it in this moment.

Leaning in, Ryuu stared into the depths of her eyes. Noticeably brighter with her light of anger, he wasn't in the right mood to acknowledge what would've excited him any other day.

"I have no sympathy for what they may have gone through." He began carefully, leaning in a little closer to express the sincerity to his words. "Look at what they put you through! I don't see you beating up anybody else's child or kidnapping them!"

Feeling no need to apologize for her lack of apathy, she only continued to glare at him. She hoped her disappointment would peek through her anger and she was determine to glare at him until it did.

How could he say such a thing when didn't sleep a wink the night Sakura brought Itachi back from his father to heal his wounds? How did he even find it in him to say something like that when on the same evening, he threatened to march right over to the Uchiha compound and give the man a piece of his mind with his fists?

Tiptoeing to meet his eye level, green eyes dared black to tell her that the man inside of him didn't care for others anymore. That taking her in and taking Itachi in at one point was all an act and that he, himself, wanted something from her like everyone did.

"His father killed his mother, Ryuu!" She whispered harshly, recalling the night she had to fight with herself not to cry when she invaded his thoughts without his knowledge. "He took him back just to starve him and beat him, making him feel as weak and useless as he was when he was a child!"

She may have been bitter was the last fe w years of her life, but a part of her couldn't bring herself to overlook Toji 's pain. Not that taunting face or the wild eyes of a little boy who felt absolutely helpless.

Involuntarily, she thought it was maybe he was similar to Itachi and maybe because she witnessed it first hand. Gladly, she would accept the second idea, but even when Toji had started to transform before her eyes the depths of her heart had referenced him back to Itachi more than once.

"You can't just hate him because of that, even with what I had to go through!"

"Well why don't you just sympathize for all of Akatsuki as well then? Sympathize for your uncle for feeling weak for not ascending to the thrown and for all the hypocrites who are as responsible for t heir own actions as you are for yours!" He mocked, catching her off guard and took in the fact that she was close to retreating. "He could've handled it another way. He knew what it felt like to be put in that positioned, but he waddled off and put you in it too. He's an idiot and you're an idiot for feeling bad for him."

Admitting no defeat, she stood in silence while staring at his rising and lowering chest from beneath long eyelashes. Like the day she defended Deidara, she had a strong desire to protect the innocent and sadly, everything was innocent enough to be in need of her protection—even if it was the person who caused her dire, unfathomable pain.

Always giving her fragrance to the hand which crushes her.

Sighing, she turned and sat down. But before Ryuu could get comfortable or the room could bathe in the idea that Sakura, for the first time, admitted total defeat , her words proved that she hadn't changed at all.

"He tried to stop when no one else did." Her gaze didn't leave the crack that decorated the polish wooden table. "At certain times he understood what he was doing, and he tried to stop. So, if I'm an idiot for believing he had some good in him and for understanding what it's to feel so weak that you want to prove yourself in some kind of way, so be it."

Looking over at him, she sent him a look he didn't want to comprehend. And turning back to the room, her head rose and replaced herself with the same girl who occupied her shell over the last three years. Like earlier, she didn't understand why she was here to tell a story to people who had no experience of it to be left wide open for uneducated judgment. Ryuu's incompetence was a firm example of why she had refused so many times.

With a sudden change in face, they all knew story time was over.

"The mission has been modified to solely rescuing my brother." The authoritarian her returned and those who weren't paying any attention earlier snapped back on alert. "We need someone to pose as my fiancee and stay in Snow with Karin while she warns our agents of our attack and Ren heals."

A sudden change in the wind's direction was all it really took for a recent event to appear to occur a lifetime ago. That was the one thing Sakura was really good at; plating things off like it never happened.

Kakashi only smirked at her ability to compose herself under the short amount of time, and straightening himself he was prepared execute her plan to every fine detail and expectation. If it was one thing Kakashi was positive was she able to do flawlessly, it was to formulate a plan disregarding her own emotions or how she felt and thought two minutes earlier. It deemed her missions successful and saved him trips to the hospital when he had been placed under her care while she still stood at Jounin.

It was only a shame that she became ANBU, now they both ended up in hospital because she wasn't fully in charge of missions plans anymore.

"Elaborate."

"The wedding will go on as plan, we just need to get Ren-san back to Konoha to heal and then they will both return to Snow to take it back." Karin continued, reminding all as to why she was kept at Sakura's side for as long as she had. "I will plan the wedding to the day of the invasion, making sure everyone is present. That will be the date Sakura and Ren arrives and catches them off guard with an attack."

The overtaking of professionalism had calmed the raging heartbeats and stole memories temporarily. A nod from Sakura to Karin displayed their years of understanding and friendship, created by with a bond to a single man and sometimes, they weren't sure if they would've had it any other way. Through blood, sweat, and tears, they both came out alright.

"Toji has collected a handful of followers over the last couple of years and they occupy my castle." The pinkette continued, reminding those who may have forgotten that she held as great a power as any of the leaders in the room. Disrespect ended here. Belittling no longer tolerated. "As far as I'm concerned, he has my brother locked up in the factory where Deidara last rescued him."

Remembering sent shivers up his spine in ways that the cold air of Snow would be jealous. Recalling his rescue of Ren wasn't it, but what had taken place once they returned to the base; finding another puzzle to herself nearly tore the whole building and his limbs apart. And with the way she looked his way, she allowed him to know she remembered it as clearly as they did.

Her intentions were misplaced, for it wasn't to remind him of his pain, but to notify Pein of her victory. He didn't need to say it for her to know that somewhere within himself he regretted almost killing the blonde when he had rescued someone she held dear—in return, making her grateful.

Karin was kind enough to pull her out of her reminiscence and silent triumph, and quickly discarding the events, Sakura waited for the rooms reaction to the plan the made up years ago—having a doubt, obviously not misplaced, that Sakura would ever go through with marrying Toji.

"His mistress will notice if he is gone for too long, but his followers aren't smart enough to spot out a well formed disguise."

"Ryuu is about the same height—" Tsunade had begun, but a short "no, never" and a glare that asked if she truly considered that option prevented her from finishing. "Sakura. You, of all people, know when it is we draw a line when it comes to our own personal wants and needs for the sake of our people and mission."

"Hokage, you, of all people, should know the skills and abilities of your own shinobis." Her voice dripped of mockery, placing this matter on a more personal basis than required. "Ryuu's not strong enough."

The man of the hour only watched in silence, not daring to oppose against a woman already half-infuriated with him or the woman who would be. He felt no need to objectify to that statement.

A staring contest between Hokage and the princess of Snow would last decades. Both woman were equally stubborn with their refusal to lose to anyone. That's what made them great leaders individually, but when opposing each other it made them the greatest of children.

"We need an Akatsuki." Karin piped quickly, hoping her timing was soon enough to pull both women out of their little fits. "Itachi and Ryuu are about the same height."

Now that wasn't a complete lie, but to Karin it was. Pulling shit out of her ass, she managed to pull some attention her way. Itachi and Ryuu were similar in height, she warily figured, though she wasn't anywhere close to being a hundred percent sure. Then again, she was sure many of the other Akatsuki members stood about the same height in comparison to one another.

But why she had chosen Itachi was because Sakura's attention would do a one-eighty, even if it didn't appear that way.

"So am I." Instead, it had attracted an arrogant, younger Uchiha.

But that had proven to be enough for Sakura. "No, Itachi will do."

"W—"

"I am not belittling you to your brother, Sasuke, so pipe the fuck the down." Irritated, she barked, activating her eyes naturally to shove him into to submission the way she had been taught. "You are nothing like my fiancee, so when really comes down to it, you should be thrilled that it isn't you taking his role."

Grunting, she leaned back in chair, giving her the time to realize what she had just admitted to. Too late to take back her words, she chuckled while giving Akatsuki a long and hard one over.

"He would've been the perfect Akatsuki member."

Hence the reason why Pein didn't help her kill him and kept the Akatsuki members back during what was the hardest battle of her life. This alliance didn't mean shit-all to the man once the opportunity of power came his way. Change was barely visible on him because when given the option between saving her life or power, his choice was still power.

And she could only thank the human body enough that it was seventy percent water and Toji for his rant of how everyone's blood was iron filled water. If Neko hadn't heard that she would've been dead, no thanks to the "strongest" organization in the world. The way Neko played with his veins, arteries and heart made Sakura feel dirty, but overall thankful. If she hadn't twisted the blood around his heart to squeeze the living organ then only god would know what would've happened to everyone else.

"If he didn't killed them all." Karin said under her breath, causing Sakura to chuckle again with her consecutive wins.

A part of her feared it. Taking so much pleasure in downplaying those who downplayed her made her wary of her own evolution into the same species as Toji. Making a mental note of her worries, she placed it aside. She would allow herself some form of pleasure after years of discomfort.

"We already have our small little army working on the inside because," A pause and a wicked smirk "And what's the best way to bring down an organization, Ami?"

Contrarily, the purpled-haired girl returned the smirk with her own and rising her head in a triumph that pricked at Pein's skin, she said "From the inside."

A laugh too mischievous to be sweet danced through their ears. Green eyes mocked them for a mistake that almost costed them the organization if Sakura warning hadn't planted some suspicion in Pein.

Yes, she would allow herself a little bit of pleasure. No one said the fragrance of flower was beneficial to the hand that crushed it, and although she couldn't name a flower off the top of her head, she'll pretend to be a bit more harmful than a cherry blossom.

"Make sure to warn them that Itachi isn't the Toji." A stroll around the table was what it was, and looking back at Karin she waited her answer. The said girl only shrugged and looked from her to her former...say, lover.

"If I feel like it." She replied, but it didn't phase Sakura the slightest bit.

Silently, she continued her stroll across the room and stopped dead in front of the man she dreaded working with. Their proximity began to quicken the pulse of a select few, and leaning into him their lips were too close for anyone's liking.

Green eyes clashed with black before one turned red, and studying the face of the black eyes' own her lips tugged tightly at the corners.

"Let my show who my fiancee truly is." She whispered, leaning back with her twirling eyes. The minutes that they stared at each other felt like an eternity, and if didn't help anymore that Itachi and Sakura both gripped the table in pain. Releasing her hold on his eyes, Sakura took in a deep breath and curled against the ledge before looking between pants and beads of sweat.

Itachi looked to be stunned for a minute as he tried to digest what she had placed him through, and staring at her smirking face, he knew he had lost with that reaction. Laughing such a bitter laugh, she closed her eyes.

"He's just like you."

And something told him that another hard punch to the face wouldn't change her mind like it hadn't did about his father.

* * *

What started off as a two man mission turned into a group effort and Sakura couldn't say she was neither appreciative or angry at how things turned out. Preferably, Karin and herself could rescue her brother and take back the country on their own, but they had an alliance, Tsunade would remind her, thus throwing her into another exercise for teamwork.

By the time everyone had met at north gate in Konoha to see them off—for whatever strange reason that may be—the blue sky had turned pink and tinted the clouds orange. The calm that surrounded Konoha was just begging to be disturbed, and if Sakura knew one thing about calm, it's that nothing good follows after it. It made her a bit anxious and no doubt that feeling would persist throughout their travel to the land of white and unforgiving. The absence of her and Yuuki allowed winter to linger longer than needed be, and the villagers, who lived for over a decade in just winter, wasn't who she was worried about.

"I should be back by morning." Sakura sighed out the dusty haze, throwing the end of her smoke on the ground before her heel crushed it. Ryuu had been sure to throw out every pack he knew of and made sure no stores would allow her to consume the product. However, the lazy genius who stood beside him with his own lit up cigarette gave him hints as to who his next target to ban from giving Sakura the vile sticks would be. "I need a room prepared for when I bring Ren back in whatever condition he may be in."

She'll leave it at that; at "whatever condition he may be in". Further analysis of the situation would make the journey restless, and she wasn't sure if anyone could handle a restless Sakura. She was unprepared to face the consequences of her actions, to say the least, if what she had already gone through wasn't consequential enough. Only able to see very little from Toji the night he sought her out during her mission, she could only catch glimpse of Ren's condition through menacing eyes.

For all she didn't want to know, there was a possibility he was dead. All that was left for her to believe in was that Toji wasn't an idiot and he knew killing her brother would instinctively break their deal. With that said, Ren probably wasn't dead the night Toji came to see her, but with all the time that had passed since then, there was a possibility he was now, or he was dying.

A better reason for them to be on their way.

"It took us two days to get mid-way up the fire country, how the hell are you gonna get to Snow and back in one day?" Sasuke questioned, hands in his pockets while his glare was still present since the moment she decided to take Itachi to Snow instead of him.

_Tsk, because I'm not like Toji_. Sasuke inwardly scoffed, recalling how they implied they needed someone strong enough to create a well-formed disguise, not that they needed to be like her fiancee. She just knew he wasn't as strong as her brother. The "compliment" didn't go unappreciated, however, because a part of him was relieved in hearing that he was nothing like his brother or Toji—whatever that may be.

But for all he knew, she could be referencing it to their strengths, and deciding a glare was acceptable until she left.

"Neko."

A single name was their only warning before the said tailed beast appeared from a quick summoning. Neko was smaller that usual; slightly larger than a horse, but that eased no one when her fang was as long as Sakura. A growl emitted through the calm air of the village, giving Sakura the small amount of chaos she had been itching for.

The swinging of her tail sent the wind blowing in their direction, and a quick glance at the crowd of people sent a few stomachs fluttering with anxiety. Watching her lean back on her hind legs prepared a few to do the same.

Sure, Akatsuki could kidnap a demon container, no problem, but they were in no way prepared to take on the real thing itself. Sakura had all but simply glanced at her demon with slightly amused, passive eyes and rose her hand to the neck of the feline. Expected to tame the large cat with some special technique, she left many disappointed when she only scratched the random spot.

"You aren't suppose to kill the people you create an alliance with." She whispered, her voice light and open for a compromise.

"Only if we leave before their scents irritate me." The cat's voice out in waves of silk as she sneered and laid herself on the ground to wait. Complying, Sakura lifted herself onto the demon with her arm stretched out to take on Karin. "Get a move on it Uchiha."

"She won't bite if you behave." Sakura laughed, seeing the way Neko's two tailed swung at his general direction. Hesitantly, if anyone else could tell, Itachi straddled the back of Neko, but made no attempt to wrap his arms around anyone. Noticing Karin's discomfort for being left unheld, contrary to what was naturally expected, a small smirk passed through her lips in knowing that would soon change.

This was going to be a good, eight hour ride.

"Take care of Naruto while I'm gone Teme."

Then she was gone in a flash, travelling at the speed that even Sasuke's Sharigan couldn't register. But that was a good thing for the elder Uchiha—no one saw how quickly he grabbed hold of the person in front on him and clung for dear life.

It was a sudden jerk stronger than a stallion when Neko quickly launched off without warning. Travelling at the speed twelve times faster than an average shinobi, the usual four day trip—excluding the basic need of sleep, food, or waste disposal—had been shorted to only eight hours, and in the beginning Itachi inwardly admitted her found it hard to breathe.

By the time the moon was up, the air had gotten cooler and asking for a short stop, Karin pulled out heavy cloaks for the three of them. Although the moon was new and its face concealed, the waves the rocked the shore went cool gusts of wind their way while they waited for Neko to drink the water free of salt.

Sakura told them the journey from that point on would only take three and a half hours and that they should brace themselves for the harsh, winter conditions in Snow.

Sadly, none of those words were lies.

When the water started hardening that soon they were dodging their ways through icebergs, the temperature took a shocking drop and was sure to stand in the negative. The wind, plus their opposition to its direction increased the force that clashed against them, and Sakura had apologize for not heating the air around them.

Arriving on the land for the first time, they were met with mountains, wind, and snow. How Sakura knew they were to turn left or right was beyond Itachi's comprehension, and when they had stopped altogether the whole area looked no different than the place they first arrived at.

"The kingdom is just over those mountains. Neko will take you over, then leave." She said, the wind dying down when her voice rose.

The chaos around them had suddenly settled, and the blizzard turned into simple, heavy snowfall. In the distant, no longer fogged with snow, there stood a building Itachi had sworn was never there before. And by the looks of it, Sakura and Deidara _had_ visited in the past as stated. In the other direction were more mountains, but between two was a narrow passage way which no doubt lead to the castle.

Sliding off, she landed in knee deep snow, but it wasn't like the heavy cloak around her body allowed either them to know that it bothered her. And if it wasn't for Itachi's strong hold, Karin would've landed face first in it.

"No, Sakura-chan. I can help find him and heal him; you're not going in there without me." Karin insisted, tossing her hood off as she leaned further off of Neko. But Sakura hadn't stopped treading through the 50 cm of white, or gave any indications that she even heard her. "Besides, what if something happened to you? You need Neko."

"My abilities expand beyond the use of my demon." It was said without turning around.

"Yeah? Well, maybe I don't care! What if something did happen to you? What would happen to your brother then? What would become of this country?" She pressed, and Itachi allowed her to fall—well, gracefully land on her feet to much of his little surprise. "Let us come with you! We'll head out after."

Sitting all high and mighty compared to the rest of them wouldn't have been an issue to him any other time. This time, however, he sat high, but not mighty on the demon with a present doubt that she would attack him for betraying her host. And with that thought, he slid off to join them in the merciless snow which stung him for the knee down.

The way her body lifted and dropped told him that she just let out the largest sigh of her life, and turning to Karin, she understood why she was an Uzumaki. Were it Naruto, he would've done the exact same thing—well actually, he would've gone with her without permission after his first attempt. But he was in the hospital, a place where she would much prefer Karin and Itachi not end up.

The fact that Karin could locate him quicker than she could was the truest of words on top of the fact that Karin could help with the healing. In this freezing weather, Sakura wasn't sure what condition he was in, and the more help the merrier, she supposed.

"Fine." Karin's success was demonstrated with a quick fist pump into the purple sky before she ran to walk arm in arm with her rather anxious best friend.

Stopping at the large concrete doors filled with cracks and chips, Sakura took in one last breath in a poor attempt to slow her raging heartbeat and sooth her jumping gut. There were many, many people inside. Those who agreed to work for Toji, and those left over from Dotou. She didn't need Karin's warning, not with the way their chakra practically spilled from the cracks in the door.

"Neko will cover the other end of the building while we head through this end. The more we kill now the less we'll have to deal with later."

Said demon disappeared and what was left were three, Leaf Shinobis with past interconnecting one way or another beyond this alliance. Reeling her arm back, with fist covered with new leather gloves, she launched it forward with no protest from the concrete barrier. It came crumbling down with a loud crash, and like before, the temperature inside was no less cold than the tenperature outside. Dust and debris danced with the cold, winter air. Deciding to take the chance to attack, Sakura launched forward into the hazy atmosphere without warning.

The howling wind was overtaken by the sound of skin on skin, kunai on metal, and bodies thrown into walls, ceilings, and floors. The screaming of men lasted no longer than a second or two before it came out in a strangle and settled once and for all.

"Intruders! Sak—"

"So annoying."

Standing alone in an area where the perimeter was lined with fallen men, it wouldn't be hard to believe that Sakura had annihilated both the Uchiha and Haruno clan. All she needed was a fist and a kunai, and she took down over a dozen before the air could clear of dust. The scenery was like a picture out of a book, with how still things had become. Leisurely, she observed the damage before something else caught her attention.

"Sakura-hime, you cannot be here!" One had said from the balcony with a hint of concern in his voice—for his own being, she knew. "Toj—"

"Is dead."

Which was how he ended up after the real Sakura appeared from behind and finished her task in the room.

The way she was staring at them with bloody, red eyes at them was unnerving. Like she had switched into the mindset of a killer and all were her enemies, and the blood that stained her once clean face and cloak didn't help with the unravelling of his nerves. Staring back, he only realized he was a fool for not noticing that she had been staring specifically at Karin, who was still and quiet.

The silent moment which only the a small breeze was heard was soon followed when life came back to the redheaded girl. The cloak slid off with a small gasp and the abrupt twisting of her head and body.

"This way." Her voice trailed after her as did Sakura and Itachi.

Racing down the hallway on the second floor, travelling over bridges and through stairwells, distant cries and growls were heard through the thin walls. Explosions and the shaking of the building didn't phase Sakura the slightest, not even when the fallen ceiling had nearly crushed them, or the bridge they ran on collapsed. The halls were like mazes, with empty rooms that had two door leading from one place to another.

It seemed like they were running aimlessly, needing to switch their course once they ran into a dead end or allow Sakura to break the walls down. The trust she had in Karin was of confidence, and like before, Itachi was inferior to Sakura's decision. If she trusted the girl to know where they were going, despite this wild goose chase, so he had to as well.

"I'll catch up later." Sakura said suddenly, turning on the spot to run adjacent to the direction they were headed. "You two go ahead."

Switching out her kunai, she disappeared behind another hallway while they were left to anticipate going on ahead or staying where they were so it was easier to locate them. Karin had concluded their predicament by tugging his on his cloak, eliminating their barrier of intimacy because no one, in a long while had dared to touch him first. It was shockingly disturbing to know his presence didn't affect her, and given that reality check, he had to admit that it didn't affect Sakura as well. Hell, Sakura was probably the reason why he didn't affect her.

"C'mon. He's this way." Karin hurried, taking him through more hallways and more stairs. Her pace noticeable slowed after a few more twists here and there, and then stopped altogether in front of a rusted, metal door. "In here."

Indeed, there was a very low amount of chakra pulsing from behind the doors—one of someone dying, one of someone who was on the brink of death. For a girl who could sense chakra as well as she did, it wasn't much compared to the eyes of a Uchiha. Usually, he would let others suffer for their own mistakes, caused by stupidity, but Sakura wouldn't let it slid with that selfish excuse.

Before her fingers could graze the surface of door, his hand caught onto her risk to save her from the blisters that would surely follow.

"Don't." He said calmly as he effortless pulled a kunai from his holster and thrusted it at the door. What should've been the sound of metals clacking together was replaced with static, hot blue light, and the a kunai the looked like it was dancing against the frame. Falling to the ground in a great big _splat, _it hardly resembled a kunai anymore.

Karin said a quick "thank you" before pulling her hand back to sulk in embarrassment.

It was a little irritating to just stand there and wait when every part of her wanted to shove through that door to save a dying man. A man who wasn't a stranger, but more of a friend who could caught up in Sakura's affairs and ended up like this. Friend to Karin and brother to Sakura—she knew the separation they had by a simple metal door could change into the separation of death any minute.

Overwhelmed by her frustrations, Karin slid down the wall with a sigh, throwing the biggest temper tantrum of all time in her mind. Never, in her life, did she appreciate the sound of Sakura's heels as much as she did now, and turning to face the girl, the cloak that wrapped her so securely before was torn from the hem up, leaving it to flow loosely and provide little protection. Coming with her entrance was the smell of blood.

Looking from Karin and Itachi to the door, a question was demanded with the quirking of one eyebrow. Slowly rising out habit—knowing that if Sakura was tied to a bed she was always doing something reckless—Karin stood to meet her.

"It's electrocuted." She said warily, slightly disturbed that Sakura's chakra was a little bit more unset than it was the whole way from Konoha to Snow.

"Everyone's a fan of that technique."

She stepped on the melted kunai.

"Stand back."

The wall beside it crumbled in seconds, bringing into view a dark room which was only occupied by a single Onii-san. Like a replay of events, before their eyes could adjust Sakura had disappeared into the darkness. Before even given a chance to readjust their eyes to the room absent of light, a green glow granted mercy on their unfortunate eyesight.

"Onii-san..." Sakura's remorseful whisper graced their ears as the green glow of healing chakra danced around his body.

After nearly a half hour of healing, Karin finally got her around to quitting, convincing her that she needed the energy to travel the eight hours home. Although her legs were weak by then, numb from sitting and her drainage of chakra, she agreed to leave and deal with whomever may be left within the building. She may have made it too, if Itachi hadn't caught her arm and forced her to stop overworking herself.

Coming shortly after that were nasty remarks made by both party regarding power, jealousy, pride, and love. About how he may never rise up to kill himself for another person, but she would never snoop so low as to allow anyone to die on her behalf when it could be prevented. Then after their conversation dropped down to whispers, and too concentrated on the nearly lifeless boy in front of her, she couldn't decode the hisses.

Their escape from the base was quicker than their entrance. With Ren on Itachi's back and Sakura leading the way, destroying everything in sight and breaking down walls—although he would never expressed it verbally—he was grateful for not needing to travel through the maze of hallways once again. Neko and cold air greeted them through the large gaping hole that once stood the entrance doorway.

The rope Sakura manage to find was wrapped securely on both her and Ren while both sat on her two-tailed friend. The cloak she wore in the beginning now barely covered Itachi, while the cloak he had worn covered Ren. Edging Neko with her heels, a path made its way from where they were standing to over the mountains. The clouds the tinted the sky purple was replaced with clear, black skies decorated with stars and the temperature had grown noticeable warmer.

"Uchiha." Green eyes darted to meet red, signalling the owner to mind their own business before returning to meet onyx. Karin turned around quickly from the sudden stare, but feeling no eyes on her back, she peeped from the corner of her eyes.

Sakura was staring at him with this thoughtful look on her face, and even though she hadn't known the exact reason as to why—only left with assumptions edged by their past—she felt something mischievous arousing from the both of them. Then suddenly her pinky was up, held in front of the elder Uchiha like they were children and requesting that he "promise to protect Karin."

Denying that he would give into the childsih act, surprise was an understatement for Karin's emotions when his little finger hooked onto his. But with a quick glance in her direction, her back was fully turned again.

"Don't break your promise this time."

"I never broke my promise to you. It just hasn't been fulfilled yet."

* * *

**I know there has been a lot of talking over the last two chapters and very little action, but I'm sorry! Trust me, I wasn't all that thrilled to write it because it looked so much better in my head when I play it out, but when you have to put it on paper it's like "how do I start" and "how do I describe this?" It was all talking with some narration in between that I even got a little bored writing it. But hey, now that action's starting again and the pace is picking up with some ItaSakuness. Oui?**

**The title was to be "****The Flower That Gives Its Fragrance Even To The Hand That Crushes It" but that wouldn't fit so I just put it as "With the Uchiha" because she's making promises with him, she's on a mission with him, and Ryuu would've preferred her with him. Yeah, still liked the other title better. **

**I don't own Naruto or any of its original characters.**

**xoxo**


	14. One Way or Another

**Chapter Fifteen: One Way or Another**

* * *

On a warm day such as this, waiting for the day of the attack wasn't as nerve racking as waiting for when Toji would have came to claim her. In the midst of a civil war, if it could be even called that, Sakura felt like she had simply submerged from a hot bath and her whole body tinged with the sensation of calm. Calm before the storm, she kept on reminding herself.

The only people who had every right to feel anxious now were those who were foolish enough to tag along with green eye, brown hair, power loving bastard, because soon enough their reign of terror would die out just as did her fiancee. Her face contorted into a disgust as she noted her habit as referring to her fiancee as her fiancee. Sasuke was right to know her better to agree to an arranged marriage, and although it wasn't arranged as in the respected terms of an arranged marries—by one's parents with a promise of inheritance—it wasn't fully consented like most.

Thinking about it made her cringe even more; the idea of their wedding night and producing _his _babies made odd parts of her body itch. To think that she would be touched _like that_ by him on top of spending the rest of her miserable life as his wife. Needless to say, plan c was poisoning.

Against the wishes of the hospital staff, she had pulled her hospital bed right next to his and waited as he rested. Tsunade had specifically arranged for them to be in the same room, because—after years and countless hospital stories—Sakura wouldn't leave her brother side or stop healing him until he was as good as knew and discharged from the building.

The case would be be no different ad it been Ryuu, Naruto, Kakashi, or any of the Rookie Niners—though Neji Hyuga was an exception to this trend, seeing that most of the time she was the one to place him in his severe conditions. She settled for sending him flowers and mentally torturing him while he remained immobile; he was the only one a little twisted and knowledgeable enough to keep up with her conversations. They had an odd friendship going on.

Green eyes had adjusted to the white light that shown through the transparent curtains and Sakura now laid on her stomach as she watched her brother's face. The small cracks on his bones were the first thing she targeted after bursting through the doors of the hospital, scaring the new nurses who had seen the horse-sized tiger for the first time. Next were the open wounds on his body, before she moved on to simple bruises.

It sounded easy enough, but was much harder than she had expected. His healing process wasn't well adapted to that involving chakra, and at first, it rejected her healing methods. It normally took her about fifteen minutes to heal her own wounds, while healing his bones alone took up to three hours.

She wasn't sure if the movement of his eyes were the result of REM sleep or of his awakening, and deciding against an sudden movements if it was simply dreaming, she remained perfectly still as she breathed into the pillow. Then the movements stopped altogether, and his eyelids began to open. Adding to the dull white room was another pair of emerald eyes as they try to make-out their surroundings.

Well, it wasn't dark, cold, or empty anymore, and the weight of chains were non-existent. In fact, he was no longer in the sitting position which condemned to the same cell he had been years before, and instead, he was in a soft bed in a room which allowed in sunlight. Although feeling it was rather safe, he was in unknown surroundings where the weather was too warm for his comfort—though he's been in worse conditions.

Turning his head to the right, he saw an open window which granted view to a village full of different colours and life, and tilting his head to his left, he saw his little sister staring back at him with the same eyes he had. The last time he saw her was when she was heading off to Konoha to visit friends for a couple of years, notifying him that when she came back, he was to expect a wedding for her and Toji.

Ah, that bastard.

"Where is he?" He managed despite the fact that he felt slightly parched.

Her eyes danced over his face with anticipation and doubt. Feeling a slight tug in her chest, she shifted uncomfortable and turned her head the other way with no desire to see his reaction.

"I killed him." She whispered, refusing to read his thoughts on how she killed yet another person on top of the ones she already murdered for selfish reasons. _Serving your village _and _saving lives _didn't cut it after the first time, and the only reason she managed now was that she had numbed herself you most killings—though there were the off ones that struck her straight through the chest every once in a while. "How are you feeling?"

"I could be better." He mumbled, placing the weight on his arms and etching him into a sitting position. And it wasn't at all a lie. He was better before Sakura came back after rescuing him, and so much better before grandma died and the demon was sealed into Sakura right after she was born. Every time she came around again, pain and a cold prison cell came with her. "Why do you put me through these things, Sakura? When will it end?"

A bitter smile smeared her lips, reminding herself that Ryuu had asked her the exact same question. When would she stop hurting the people she loved? When would she stopped putting their lives in danger for the sake of her own problems? Both of them were completely in line for thinking that, considering how this hadn't been the first time something like this happened.

"I've been wondering the same thing."

"Is killing our entire family not enough for you?"

No, she supposed the world had more plans for her and killing an entire family wasn't enough for it. It wanted more, wanted to use her to her fullest potential and eventually kill everyone she ever set eyes on. It wasn't like she could help it either—not like she could control whom came and left in her life. Hiding herself in a cave with no human contact for the rest of her life seemed tempting enough, but she couldn't push herself to embark on the act.

"What do you want me to do about it? About all of this and what may ever come afterwards?" She prompt herself on her elbows and stared at him as he stared back, emerald clashing with emerald with one threatening to turn blue. She really couldn't cause anything but pain, and something told her the plan she had with Itachi wouldn't be enough to stop her from doing it all over again. "Would dying be enough for you?"

Because she didn't know what else to give him in return for the lives she never knew, but took. For the years he spent in the prison cell, malnourished and deprived of the freedom she was allowed. How he didn't turn out to be unstable from the lack normal social interaction and love was something beyond her understanding of the human psychological development, but to put things short and bitter, his life sucked because of her.

When he didn't answer or look at her, she already got her answer. The way his eyes adverted to the tap that stuck to his skin and how concentrated he was on peeling the thing off sadly reminded her that they were related, but she was no where close to living up the little sister she was suppose to be. No little sister was suppose to make her older brother suffer this severely, and no friend or daughter was suppose to get you killed—accidentally.

Killing them purposely was a different monstrosity she didn't want to think about.

"Here, you can be an only child and have your revenge." She continued as she pulled out a kunai and stabbed it into his mattress.

Ren jumped slightly at the tone of her voice, and turning to look at her, she was already turned on her back, ready for him. He had contemplated it every now and then with the positions she left him in; wishing she was never born and wondering if she died earlier on or in the war if all the unfortunate events in his life would've never happened.

Eyes identical to his stared at him with this fire of determination he didn't want to feed. She was suddenly serious, and he knew for sure he wasn't anymore. Not with his wish for her death, or anything like that.

"Do it, Ren." Her voice rung out into his thoughts, leaving him no time to regret the pass thoughts she could invade with a flick of chakra. "I said do it!"

"No!"

The kunai ripped through the mattress and launched into the dry wall. Specks and pieces of it fell onto the perfectly polished ground, left forgotten by the brother who was too busy watching his little sister cry.

"Just do it already because I can't take any of this either!"

The white sheets joined the kunai at the other side the room as she knelt and pulled out another kunai in one swift motion. Holding it to her neck the next moment, he found himself moving beyond the pain to grab hold of her one hand with both of his. Kill her, she was begging him, let him be the only child and one family less for a problem she never had any intention to cause—nor possible for any human to see coming.

"No!" He said more firmly, his blood dripping down her fist causing her to release her strong hold. Wrenching it away from her, it stained the white sheets and floor red as the ting echoed throughout the room, while his shout echoed through the hospital. "I can't."

Tangling her fingers through her pink locks, she pulled both knees to her chest and sobbed. "I don't know what to do anymore."

"I can't do anything, Sakura." He sighed. "You never did anything."

Footsteps came pouring through the hallway in the direction of the room containing the two Harunos. Inside reeked of the blood that covered the walls and floors that were once white. Outside was warm, but inside it was obviously much hotter as both siblings laid together with the sheets kicked off the bed and arms around each other. Ren had his arms around her head protectively as hers were loosely on his side—it was touching if the blood and kunais could be ignored.

Suddenly, green eyes open into a glare as the dark haired prince glared at the women who created too much as fuss that would wake Sakura up. Slowly and hesitantly, they closed the door, allowing both siblings to rest after a lifetime of war, death, and anger.

* * *

An occasional warm breeze would pass through them, entirely opposite from what they had been expecting from the country named after a precipitation that only appeared in the coldest of weathers. There was a life to it that hadn't been there the last time they had been around, replacing the once gray and cold atmosphere. Being at sea for the last few days, saying Kisame was thrilled for the announcement that they were now in Snow territory was an understatement. Though a fish, he couldn't bare being on the water for as long as they had been—stuck with a group of Leaf shinobis.

If Sakura wasn't as threatening as it was before she could manipulate the blood in a human's body, then she was sure as hell Satan or God himself with newly discovered technique. Sure, Pein could crush you with his eyes, but could he kill you with what you essentially need without you knowing it? That was the definite reason why Akatsuki, Leaf, and Sound didn't pounce on each other every second they got. Hell, being stuck together as a group—excluding the respective leaders except for Sakura and her brother, they could easily rebel in this forced alliance.

Things would not be as strained were they sent on this task with unfamiliar Leaf shinobi, but Sakura had requested it be her _"friends_" and that they were easier to manage and work with, on top of having faith in their abilities. Akatsuki were only sent because Pein had told them to go, and with Sakura's rejection and Ren's approval, Kisame found himself leaning over the side of the boat and growling at the unmerciful man.

When more colours besides the hundred shades of blue came into view, it took everything within the blue man to not jump from the boat and welcome dry land with open arms. He'd travel double pace with Itachi any day didn't mean he'll ever be stuffed on a boat again.

"It's warm, un?"Deidara asked in embarrassment, remembering how he had fought with his partner about bringing a heavy cloak right after Sakura had told them it wasn't needed.

He assumed it was because she meant they'd be sweating from all the fighting, and when she had said they were entering Snow territory, he was expecting a sudden drop of temperature followed by blasts of ice and snow. It was odd enough that the temperature remained relatively warm, and only when he came to see land was covered with more colours than the countless shades of gray and white did he find it hard to believe that this was the place which made him sick for a week.

"You can't hold a wedding in a blizzard." A voice behind him answered, and turning around, he came to face a very, dolled up bride.

Her hair looked to have been attempted to be placed in the traditional hairstyle, but the curls after the large crown had defeated that purpose. Defying that tradition, she still managed to dress herself appropriately in the red kimono instead of choosing the white, which looked to be too large for her in the most sensual way. It didn't fit her shoulders as it should have, and slid to mid-way down her for arm. No doubt that if it wasn't for the wrapping that held it all up, it would've slid lower, giving them more of a view than just a peek of cleavage.

"...Eh..."

Deidara's body moved in the opposite direction of Sakura, much to the objection of his body's rejection. Standing beside a beautiful woman on any given day and they would be screaming under him in minutes, but standing beside someone like Sakura and he had a feeling he would be the one screaming if he attempted the same thing. In other words, he was scared for himself because of himself.

"Well, you look mighty good for someone who's about to fight a war." Kisame squeeze in between the blonde man and Sakura to throw an arm over her shoulders. It was like they were best buds, and when Sakura placed a hand on his back, it showed that they may as well be.

_Pinch_.

Maybe not.

His arm flew off her in seconds, and rubbing his forearm he glared at the amused bride. Grumbling profanity for her ears only, her smirk widen at their odd hate-like relationship. What they had could hardly be considered love, and even if she had half the mind to consider that, she knew Akatsuki would never in a million years. Love? No, no one else but themselves, thank you.

"Of course, if I walked down the aisle in my ANBU attire, they'll know instantly."

From across the boat, burning eyes full of hate stared into the back of so called bride. A couple years younger than Ami with very little experiences with men, it was hard to even consider losing to her at anything. Ami had taken Itachi from her, had taken Akatsuki from her, but somehow Sakura managed to get it all back and then some. The purple haired girl wondered if she hadn't as foolished as she was four years ago, she could've taken down Akatsuki and her, then, there was no one else to lose to.

"Tch, still can't believe she's getting married before me." Ami grunted to her partner, her arms still firmly crossed over her chest, but providing no cleavage. This would've been irresistible in her usual clothing, but no, the alliance made it inconvenient to identify yourself as a different party the most were clad in the usual black pants and black shirt.

"Yeah, but it's falsely to Uchiha-san."

Kabuto looked over to Ami who only grunted and turned the other way, feeling more inferior than earlier. Sakura managed to get it all back and then some, indeed. Four years ago and Ami had noticed the relationship between Sakura and Itachi was strained by shit ton that they didn't even talk or glanced at one another, ever, but here she was attending their fucking wedding—even if it was fake, the sense of losing felt real to her.

"Whatever. She doesn't even look good in that kimono."

For a Uchiha, it wasn't uncommon for Sasuke to remain quiet the whole way here with grunt or "hn" every once in a while. But he hadn't said a word to anyone since Itachi had left with Sakura a week earlier, even when she came back and all. It made ordering him around more bearable with no verbal interactions as protest. Naruto did all the talking and he just stay back and looked like he may be listening, but in reality he was rummaging through his brain for an answer he never had to think twice about.

Killing his brother.

"Don't you think it's a little too early for you to be fighting?" Ren asked, joining her at the head of the boat where she stood and gazed off into the mountains. They were no longer white and gray, but gray with specks of green from trees growing on top and white for the tips of the mountain untouched by the heat.

Her kimono had the white, hollow circle on the back to signify that it belonged to the family she killed. Either she stole it or he gave it to her, either options irrelevant because it was evident that he saw it. But there was no anger in his gaze, tension nor hate within him to look at the person whom was blamed countless times for murdering his family to proudly wear the crest. But if Sasuke caught Itachi strutting around with the Uchiha crest on his back, he'd be on his brother like a crazed maniac.

...Right?

"I wouldn't have a reason to be this strong if I couldn't protect the people I care for." She answered, while staring the same view of the land which was once destroyed and slowly falling back.

Ren's hand swooped down and took hold of hers, giving it a little squeeze as she turned her head to face him. He had a small, very small smile on his face which was sad yet happy at the same time though it didn't seem like she minded. Sasuke released a breath when it became absolutely necessary; unaware that he had been holding it in the first place.

"It's time to take back what's ours." Sasuke heard Ren tell her confidently, his voice holding no grudge against how it fell twice in her doing. "I think mom and dad would be proud of you, Sakura-ou-sama."

That had been the parting between Sakura and Itachi, where Sasuke realized why he couldn't forgive Itachi as easily as Ren did. What he realized even more shockingly was that he actually thought about forgiving him, and he cursed the conversation the night of the mission even more. Hell, he cursed the whole Haruno family—or what was left of it—and the fact that they can involuntarily, obliviously support each other.

Watching Ren and Sakura should've been disgusting, but he wasn't sure if it was because he was biased towards Sakura or that it was inspiring—if he didn't puke at the word or idea—to watch Ren treat Sakura so warmly after she nearly killed him twice. Accidentally, he had to remind himself, just so he didn't blur two similar situations into one thing. She accidentally killed their family and almost Ren, while Itachi had killed their family and spared him to protect him.

Then there was Toji, nearly a Haruno who reminded him why it was he used to be so scared of his father. He tolerated the man—hell, he looked up to the man for approval when all he got was glares and words that shot him down while telling him to be more like his brother. Like his brother —who was beaten in front of them and did nothing about it until he cracked on night and killed them all. There was a great resemblance in Toji and Fugaku that Sasuke couldn't overcome once he met him, understanding why it was she kept them all away for as long as she could until she killed him.

The bitter truth was Sasuke would've killed Toji if he had gotten to the chance; killed a man who reminded him so much of his father.

It was hard to say what his heart was set on nowadays. When his guard was down, he sometimes found himself almost grateful for the fact that Itachi had freed him from their dad, but then all the blood and faces of family members who never laid a hand on them came flashing back and his anger was up and pumping again. He could never fully adjust to Sakura's and Itachi's rationalization of how the murder of his family sat well in their stomach, knowing that it didn't sit well in hers with Dotou.

But she cried when killing him, after fulfilling the revenge she never sought.

"I thought the eldest ascending the thrown, Ren-ou-sama." She laughed, leaning and bumping her shoulders with his teasingly. "Let's give the title to Koyuki."

"It doesn't work that way."

"Really? Because two seconds ago you just called me the Queen, Ren-ou-sama."

And he just chuckled with her, throwing his arm around her shoulder and pulling her close in a quick embrace.

Something in Sasuke's conscious mind told him his brother and himself would never be that way again, something like the voice of Sakura telling him "Itachi _was_ very kind, loving, and noble _six years ago._" and that Sasuke couldn't see Itachi differently than the person who supposedly murdered his family like he had for the last seven years.

He couldn't say he was envious, but at the same time, he couldn't say he wasn't either. They had a good, brotherly relationship before the massacre, and how was he suppose to deny the past and the feelings felt?

The boat finally skid to a stop on the shore and without even waiting for the ramp to lower, Sakura was the first one out of the boat with her brother. She just stopped and stared at her surroundings, recollecting memories of when she had last been in the country during the warm season.

Her only memory sent shivers of regret and hate up her spine, recalling how she last saw this place in its rebirth when she left it behind for ruin to she turned her back and trotted through the grass without another glance at Ren, telling him she'd be back in three years and that he should be expecting a wedding. There was no warning of who Toji truly was and what would happen over the time she was gone.

"It's been while since we've been here, hasn't it, Teme?" She heard Naruto ask from behind, reminding her of the time before. Her first actually bloodshed which shortened their family, and what happened after that.

"Hn."

"Looks a lot nicer than the last time too."

Sakura chuckled to herself, her shoulders shaking until she had little droplets of tears in her eyes. A lot nicer is how they would describe the place that brought her so many nightmares. And now that it was embellished with green grasses, flowers, and clean air, the destruction was almost unnoticeable that it did look a little nicer.

"Not until you get over the mountains." She whispered over her shoulder, just loud enough for all to hear. All conversation stopped with that comment and they followed behind her in silence as she lead down the path to the two mountains that parted for a small road to travel on.

The _nice _part of the country had stopped once they passed through the small opening between the mountains, and coming through the alleyway, all that was left to see was a village of dull brown and grey, and a castle even greyer. The vegetation stopped metres before the village which looked starved, reminding Team Seven of their first trip to the Land of Waves when they had fought Haku—another Haruno which died before her.

_Sakura-ou-sama._

How was she suppose to protect and guide a country when she couldn't protect family members from death? And still, years later, she let her whole country down.

This was only parts of it, while others were left untouched because she never allowed Toji to believe there was more life beyond what was in front of the palace walls. It was a large village which would make-up three-fourths of Konoha in comparison, but Konoha was lively, and this place was reeking of death.

The two siblings hadn't seen what they left behind in a while—Sakura three years and Ren months. For one thing, Sakura had prepared herself for houses to be lit on fire and for children to be crawling through the streets for food, but this had been much fairer to her. But Ren, on the other, had not been expecting this at all.

The dramatic drop after Toji had suddenly kidnapped him and thrown him in prison...he never imagined it be this bad. The people were stripped of their humanity and their castle had chips and holes large enough to be seen from the few kilometres which they stood away. When he was in power, the streets were roaming with mothers, fathers, and children who rejoiced in the freedom he and Sakura returned the land. And when Sakura was around, people started warming up to her and thanking her from freeing them from Dotou's reign of greed.

Now it looked like the first day he stepped out of the factory with no one lurking around and everyone hidden in the very little safety that was their homes.

These people forgave Sakura once, he wasn't sure if they would do it again. Sakura never forgave herself once, and he was sure she wasn't about to with all the damage that was done. It would be a long process to restore the country its proud state of sixteen years ago, but there was no doubt that they could accomplish that one way or another.

Naruto had been kind enough to keep his mouth shut and to not comment on how bad he didn't expect it all to be. As usual, he expected a cynical Sakura who had no hope that things were better than they actually were, but this time she wasn't being over-dramatic. He didn't have time to stand there and stare at the deathly aura which surrounded the place, and with Sakura quickly descending the pathway, he knew he would get a closer look.

Her red Kimono contrasted with the brokenness of the town, adding a bright statement of red to grey, black, and brown which vanished everything. From time to time, doors would creek and pairs of eyes would peer through the crack or from behind the torn curtains of windows, catching a glimpse of their destroyer and saviour. Seeing more than their everyday neutral colours brought excitement, fear, and adrenaline through their bodies like the news which Karin spread stating that Sakura and Ren were returning to reclaim the land. Then they were told to stay within their homes during the invasion, and seeing Akatsuki and others shinobi accompanying their King and princess, they understood why.

It was another massacre.

Walking out of civilian territories, they came to a long stairwell which led up the gates of the palace entrance. Without pausing for even a second, she walked the stairs with confidence which allowed those who hadn't seen it to notice how overbearing the red was in the grey atmosphere. Turning back, heads began to pop out of windows to watch the almost foreign colour liven up their oppressed lives, and if that didn't fill them with some sort of hope, then no one knew what would.

"Ah, it's been a long time, hasn't it, Sakura?" If the voice hadn't rung out to greet, Naruto may had never turned around to look up front in time to stop himself from bumping into Kakashi. Peering out from his sensei's side, he saw two guards who stood way too close to Sakura and her brother with a smirk of pure arrogance which was fuelled by a person they didn't know was dead. A sword was at her neck and as much as he hoped Sakura would contort the flow of blood in their bodies, she hadn't moved an inch. "And you brought some friends. What are you trying to do? You know Akatsuki will be no help."

He sounded so sure of that, and it took very little in her to not turn around and tell the said men to calm their raging chakras. Not that she minded if they lost it and killed the guards and everyone else who worked for Toji, that would be delightful now as it would be later.

"What do you think Toji would do if he saw you holding a sword to my neck? Don't like the bones in your arms?" She rose her finger to glide down the said arm with her nail while knowing his mind came flooding back with the respect being Toji's to be wife demanded. Surely no husband would like to see a knife being held to his wife's throat—not that she could call Itachi her husband, but he didn't need to know that. "Besides, I got his permission to have them here as wedding guest, they will leave once the ceremony is over."

"How sweet of them."

"Now move aside." She demanded, and reluctantly, they followed and lowered to their knees with false respect. "You shouldn't be making a woman angry on the happiest day of her life."

The gates opened to reveal a lengthy courtyard filled with freshly planted flowers and newly cleaned stone pathway which led to the castle itself. Standing in a crowd in front was the so-called priest of the cult and Itachi, but one look at his disguised she nearly believed it to be Toji. Standing in lines were housekeepers and bodyguards whom were forced to take place in what would be the event of a lifetime, and looking around at the people whom she trained and taught well, they shot her looks of confidence and mischievous.

Those left unannounced were the couple dozens and women and men who willingly followed Toji's orders and command like he was God, and they stared at them with the same confidence and mischievous of the housekeepers and bodyguards, their feelings completely out of place.

"Sakura."

"Whore."

And how could she not recall the mistress who still stood as close as she could to the man Sakura would marry, no shame or embarrassment painting her face because it was no lie that Toji treated her more like a queen then he did Sakura. She made him feel empowered, while Sakura had done the complete opposite. But hey, if they tickled her balls then Sakura would've been pleased to pass him over to her.

But too bad this was Itachi they were now talking about.

Hidan chuckled, elbowing Kisame while glancing back and forth between Ami and the mistress. It wouldn't be to anyone's surprise if Ami did side with her. Sakura always gets herself mixed up with whores.

"Don't think because you'll become his wife, I'll be out of the picture." She snorted, raising Itachi's eyebrows as he hadn't even glanced in the mistress's direction. His eyes were on everything around them, but specifically Sakura who had stopped in her approach to acknowledge something he made an effort to ignore all week.

"If you wanted to remain in the picture, you should've married him." She stated, holding a tone of possession which couldn't be distinguished as real or fake. "But since you're not his wife you better stay out of my way."

"Don't get so ahead of yourself, even though he had you the whole time he still comes to hold _me, _to make-love to _me, _not you."

"Only because I wouldn't let him, but that'll change after tonight." Sakura laughed. "You were a substitution, but we all know the real thing's better. You're no longer needed."

The possessive tone and effort to make it clear that her "husband" was no one but her own hadn't gone unnoticed by the said man or her large team. Her order for the woman who had been tailing him around all week to stay out of his fiancee's way had turned Itachi's head to actually pay attention more to who she was rather than what she was wearing. But if there wasn't this barrier which made them enemies and ex-lovers then maybe he would admit that she looked absolutely stunning rather than sexy like she was in that white dress the other night.

"Only—"

"Enough." Itachi ordered, noticing how even Sakura visible froze at his exact imitation of her fiancee's voice. The quick flicker of terror that danced across her face made him want to end this as quickly as possible. "Sakura, don't keep me waiting any longer."

His hand rose towards her and for a moment she stood completely still while fighting a mental battle. They were scared this was going to happen; that she would freeze seeing Toji again—even if it was fake. For the few moments which passed, Itachi had contemplated dropping the disguise so she would come back to reality, but once her feet started moving and she sent him a smile, he decided he could hold off a little longer.

"No, of course not." She whispered, taking his hand and allowed him to guide her up the three steps.

A notable distance separated the two parties with Sakura no longer crossing the barrier. With her under the roofing of the castle, bodies of the dead started to tumble from the balcony and roof of the castle, and standing on top was a very, very happy Karin covered with specks of blood.

_That's my girl, _Sakura chuckled inwardly, not even needing to see her to know that this was her doing. _  
_

For a moment, everyone looked a little stunned by the sudden droppings. The priest had stopped talking altogether and just stared at his dead comrades before large growl from the two-tailed demon container sent the housekeepers and guards attacking with while Sakura's "guests" doing the same.

The hand holding Sakura's dropped along with Itachi's disguised, and together they disappeared behind the castle doors for the people with enough guts to not attend the wedding. Sasuke paused to watch _them_ work efficiently like a team Team Seven never could and throwing a blind punch to his side, another one was knocked to ground.

There were no words to exchange or looks, yet they followed each other's lead knowingly—something even he and Naruto couldn't even accomplish without fucking up somewhere along the lines.

"That was hardly a challenge." Naruto mumbled, coming to stand beside his best friend to observe the fight that hardly begun. Bodies scattered the courtyard, their deaths disguising a justice Sakura sometimes found hard to understand. But what really ground his gear was that this was far, far less than a challenge than he expected—even Dotous put up a harder fight.

Then again, someone as strong as Toji probably didn't figure he needed suck a strong cult.

"Course not, baka. Sakura and I could've taken all of these people on our own." Karin snorted as she landed from the roof tops where more men and woman dropped like rain from the sky. Flipping her hair, she proceeded forward with a toothy smirk on her face where she stopped dead in front of Sasuke and Naruto and crossed her arms. "You guys only came because the alliance inconveniently makes you relevant to our affairs."

That was the last thing anyone was thinking when seeing her so quickly take out over a dozen members on her own. Sure, they weren't trained too well as shinobis, but no one had expected for Karin to even take down your basic chuunin.

To think she'd been holding back on them all this time to only reveal herself when she would stay in Snow for the rebuilding for it. Lazier than Shikamaru for sure and when she would return they were sure to put her on a mission the fastest they could, though her blazing chakra may be an issue.

"Man, a one week journey for this?" Naruto plopped to the ground and hung his head between his kneels, remember how excited he was when he found out Sakura wanted him on this mission, but that was obviously because she knew for sure no one would be injured.

"Troublesome." Shikamaru continued, taking a long drag from his cigarette due to the idea that they would be put on that one week journey to return home again.

No wonder she didn't want ANBUs or high-trained jounins, it would be much more boring for them then it was for the group already there. Basic chuunins could've taken these assholes down—no wait, genins.

"You said it."

"Well, you guys do get to stay in a castle for a few days." Ren grinned, wiping the blood from her cheeks and chin. Even more less expected than Karin was him, after over a decade of imprisonment. But they figured that's what they get when they have Sakura as a teacher, screw sending Karin on a mission, Sakura would be placed a jounin sensei first thing.

But a one week journey to stay in a busted old castle, no thanks, a spa was much more like it. Four days on a boat with Akatsuki was much more adrenaline pumping than fighting these fools. "We stayed it there last time, it's not that cool anymore."

"Might a remind you that they can kick us out anytime they want." Kakashi said lowly, pressing his fist into the head of the obnoxious blonde. "Do you want to return to the ship that soon?"

"Sakura wouldn't let that happen."

"But she's not here." Karin said stilly, looking towards the castle.

"I know, I mean—"

"I mean she's not here at all!" If the urgency in her voice didn't get everyone jumping, her wild eyes would as she stared into her cousins. Her brows were knit together in horror and despair while begging for their help without actually knowing what to expect. Sakura's chakra just disappeared without a trace like a quick blow to the lungs that stopped air from processing.

The excitement for regaining back power to the land facing destruction and tyranny for far too long stopped with her outburst. Sasuke and Naruto glanced at each other like maybe one of them knew what happened to the fourth member of their team.

"What are you talking about?" His voice was a dangerous low, daring her to repeat that again for his sensitive heart to hear."She headed inside with Itachi a while ago."

Then the idea clicked inside the young Uchiha's mind, only needing to hear the name of his brother before everything went out the window and knowing made sense. Itachi took her again. "That bastard! He—"

"Hn."

But said man came up behind him, still dressed in the wedding attire and a stoic expression on his guilty face. Taking a step forward, Kakashi's arm came up to hold the anxious younger brother back. But like before at the chuunin exam, one Team Seven boy was proven to be quite a handful for the copy-cat, and Naruto sprung on his feet with an accusing finger ready for the suspected man.

"What did you do with Sakura?"

"She left moments ago." He said evenly, looking to the castle door before turning back to the hyperactive demon container. "She should be with you, correct?"

They all blinked at him in silence, having no stomach to understand what he was truly trying to get them to understand. He said nothing else, gave off nothing else, which would contribute to their understanding of Sakura. Had she just walked off somewhere without telling them or him? She couldn't just disappear without anyone sensing it? Not without Karin sensing it at least.

Feeling the pressure of narrowing eyes and desperate hearts, the overwhelming feelings made her take deep breaths to calm herself and focus. She had the ability to sense people up the a ten minute radius, but all that was felt was angry shinobis and hopeful villagers.

"I don't sense her anywhere." She said again, her eyes widening in fear like a lost child.

"Don't fuck with me, Karin."

They were suppose to rebuild this country together, now that all threats were eliminated, it was made to feel possible. As two of the three survivors of the clan, each had a part to play in rising the economy and start trading with other countries and villages. An alliance was established before hand, making trading more possible. Sakura was suppose to be there to continue her work.

She was suppose to be by his side like she was three years ago, making the people respect her while she pulling the country of the dirt and piles and snow with her bare hands.

It was never negotiated verbally, but the way the had stared at the land was such longing and how hard she fought had said enough for him. The two happiest moments of a person's life—wedding and taking back what belonged to them after so long—had turned into another horrific event which cut the Haruno family short one member.

"Let me see you try to sense her, Ren!" Karin shrieked, turning around to what look like an attack on the elder brother if Kakashi hadn't walked in between them.

"Calm down."

"Dammit!" Naruto dropped to his knees, pounding the ground until his knuckles bled and Kakashi yanked him to his feet. "Sakura!"

It was going to be a long stay here and a long ride home to Konoha. How were they suppose to explain to the Hokage that Team Seven let Sakura slip from their grasp in the Land of Snow again? And how were the Akatsuki suppose to explain to their Leader that his two-tailed demon had disappeared?

The only people left unaffected by this matter was Orochimaru and the villagers of the country, and a Uchiha who knew how to keep his emotions under control at most times.

He said they'd be together one way or another, and she said she would protect the people she cared for one way or another. Straying from those promises was no longer possible anymore, not when they had tied each down to fulfilling it.

* * *

**So, so, so, so, uh, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. **

**I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. **

**xoxo**


	15. Defying Repetition

**Chapter Sixteen: Defying Repetition **

* * *

If Sakura had been asked weeks ago what there was to expect from the alliance and marriage or death of her fiancee, her story would be entirely different from what had come; with a solid idea of being dead or imprisoned by her fiancee. Being locked up in a cellar was far from her mind—it wasn't the type of imprisonment Toji would've had in mind anyway. But lounging on the bed, sealed off from the world where she knew she could only do harm brought upon a small sense of peace she hadn't felt for a long while. And although she had told herself she would fight her heart out if she ever found herself in this situation again, she had every intention not to.

Six weeks ago she was on a mission with her ANBU squad, defying orders and stirring up trouble. Five weeks ago, she was taking down Stone shinobis by the dozens before an interrogation by the village elders left a pleasing impression of her for all of Akatsuki to see, and a very threatening Sakura to lead two Akatsuki members, two Orochimaru member, and her own sensei on a mission. Four weeks ago, she fought and killed Toji. Three week ago, she was in the hospital with Ren. And two weeks ago, Snow was given back their freedom before losing their demon.

All in all, the only thing Sakura was worried about was the fact that Akatsuki and Orochimaru had been in Konoha for this long. The idea of their visit for one month already sent her nerves flying, but now it was into the sixth week and there was no sign of them having left the area. She had suppressed herself from thinking more into that idea.

Already carrying the burden of suddenly abandoning everyone without speaking a single on one shoulder, she didn't need to further think of a reason why Pein had been held back.

Staying to watch their reaction would be too heartbreaking—although she couldn't deny the fact that she would've anyways—but Karin's ability to sense her twenty miles away made it impossible to stick around longer than battle.

Six weeks ago, she didn't care much for Akatsuki—or her own situation. Five weeks ago she didn't know Toji had locked Ren up. Four weeks ago she hadn't a clue that she wield the ability to kill someone with their own blood. But three weeks ago, she knew she would be sitting in the Akatsuki base prison like she was right now.

Bored and frustrated, she sighed and opened the cell door.

In the four year death of herself and the six week absence of Akatsuki, she hadn't hoped on finding much to eat in their kitchen. Nothing had substantially changed since she last laid her eyes on the place except for a few broken chairs and the expansion of the training area, which she was sure may have been on behalf of Pein.

In the fridge were fruits—mostly rotten—while every other thing had gone bad or were half eaten. It was only thanks to Neko that she could survive by growing more fruits out from the seeds. Needless to say things weren't in tip-top shape like they were when she was first at the base. It was almost certain Pein didn't stay at the base for as long as he used to; with no little girl to look after and protect—or fight with—he was more free to travel around and stay out longer than a couple of days. Seeing his office, she knew he wouldn't stand for the lack of cleanliness.

Pulling out another apple from the bottom drawer, she frowned, half-heartedly missing the prison food Itachi once tried to feed her. The apple rolled around in the empty, plastic drawer. She wasn't that hungry anyways.

If she had been aware of their late return, she would've bedded in her old room for the remaining time. Sleeping on the hard and dirty so called bed that was actually a mat set on a wooden table left her body stiff and sore, but she sleeping in an actually bed now was risking it. Her deal strictly said she would return as a prisoner, not a member.

Matter of fact was they could return any day now—and she couldn't say she wasn't excited for that. It wasn't that she liked them or missed them, but in simple wanting of company after two weeks of no human contact what-so-ever. Burning candles were only amusing for so long that after the sixth day, she officially declared that playing with fire was no longer as exciting as people made it sound.

Silent foot-steps and the rustling of clothes flooded the quiet and tense base as she went about to explore some more. Looking into rooms of members and opening doors to room she had never been into on her last visit, she entertained herself with the idea that Akatsuki were wiped out on their way back. Why else would Pein allow her to stay at the base alone for as long as he did? Even he wasn't that much of an idiot to believe she wouldn't change her mind about being his prisoner.

Relief tugged at her when she managed to pick up two familiar chakra signatures. Taking note that she was out of place in the library, she reluctantly dragged herself back into the cellar and sat in the farthest corner of the mat. And staring at the door with the same half-irritated, half-bored expression that she swore was permanent on her face, she waited for a promise of death or a promise of forced self-betrayal.

The thing to take note of was that the base wasn't as messy as when they left. Kisame called it a man's cave when Konan wasn't around with empty sake bottles here and there, and dust, dirt, and dried blood that was never treated to. But having found out after they arrived back in Konoha about the deal Sakura and Itachi made on their mission to Snow, and the deal she made with Pein secretly afterwards, there was no doubt in his pretty little mind that the chakra he couldn't sense was the reason behind the sudden cleanliness.

They had left her here with nothing to do for two weeks—one of those two weeks he believed she just vanished like the rest of the Leaf shinobis—so it was only natural for a woman to entertain herself with cleaning. Only after he sat through meetings discussing the possible reasoning behind her disappearance, or if Konoha had any right to declare her a missing-nin now that she was under the governing of Snow—or was the government of Snow—and numerous search missions did Itachi and Leader finally reveal to them that she was actually at the base, willingly becoming a prisoner.

Search after search and putting up with the shit they received from her friends, he nearly flew off the handle. He wanted out of their precious little village and back in the open forest, but they had to stay to remain inconspicuous—they still needed the other demon after-all.

"Well, this is no place for a bride to be." He snorted, opening the heavy metal door to catch her staring blankly at the open flame of the candle. She was still dressed in her red, bridal kimono, though her hair was left free to cascade over her back and shoulders. Two weeks and that glow she had on her wedding day didn't fade, or maybe it was the candle light doing her some justice after sitting in that dusty old place for so long.

Green eyes crinkled and her dry lips curved into a smile. "You're not drunk this time?"

"Nope, learned my lesson four years ago."

A silence over-took their conversation for a minute and the orange flame flickered for big to small, orange to blue. She had the look he'd seen on Itachi many times before, one that said she was thinking and disturbing her concentration meant he would beg for mercy and death later. From the way her body had tensed and her eyes flickered, her alertness placed him on the edge to sense for something that he wasn't sure of.

_Demon sense_s, that's what he called her sensitivity to everything four years ago. He never imagined he would see her in their base again after the night she left, or if he would ever get the chance to put a name to something that made her unique and weird.

"Why are you and Itachi the only ones back?"

Placing a hand over his heart and making a pained face, all he got was an eye-roll and smirk. It was a much better reaction than the ones he got on their last mission together, but being trapped by someone like Toji, he could no longer hold against her the always serious, always irritated attitude—though with Itachi he still could and would.

_Why so serious, bro? _Glare. _It's like you have a stick up your ass sometimes. _The spill of blood and alcohol.

Though now he had a partner in crime, and he almost dared— in his mind while standing fifty feet away—Itachi to attack him for making cruel jokes about him when Sakura would surely join in. No way in hell Leader would allow any of them to touch her now that he finally got her back, and like Itachi could if he wanted.

There was no need to remind anyone of the fact that she could kill an untouchable man who nearly killed her six times with his own blood. Something everyone needed, something everyone had, and something that could kill them if they caught her on the wrong side of the bed one morning. Standing in front of her like he was, he was offering her the ultimate weapon to kill him with. If Zabuza was a silent killer, he had no words to describe what she was.

"We can't all leave at once, we're precious. What if someone ambushes us?" He questioned, watching as she sent him a look that asked him if she was being serious.

Kisame laughed, forcing himself to continue to pull out more of a reaction. That only person who ever found him funny was Hidan, but after that the both of them would wound up on the ground with new bruises and cuts that hadn't been there when they were last conscious—and drinking.

"Also, if a large group of men head out in one direction, it would be easier for people to spot us and find out where the base is. Can't have Konoha finding out where we live, we wouldn't be safe."

"Some kind of alliance this turned out to be."

"No different from abandoning two countries, princess."

Especially when she was to be the Leader of one and a significant part of another. To say he was surprised to find out that she had willingly left Konoha and Snow to be locked up in their cell was an understatement. The only explanation he had for that was she had more than she could drink those nights. She almost killed him when he came to take her away during the chuunin exam, he had every right to question and lecture her for this sudden willingness.

"I did it for their own good." She sneered, turning away from him and back at the flame before it suddenly died down to almost nothing like her voice. "My existence is too dangerous."

If her destruction on Snow and nearly killing Naruto hadn't been enough proof of that.

If they needed more all they had to do was keep her around a little longer, send her on missions and make her known for her membership with the infamous group. And given a couple of weeks, their members would be ambushed a shit lot more than they already were in search for her. Akatsuki would be of no more than Hidan and herself in no time.

Then the flame went out altogether, bringing along with it the small warmth it provided that could've protected them both from the cold voice from behind Kisame.

"I told you to take her to her room, not harass her."

Without looking over his broad shoulders, Kisame took one step to the side to allow Itachi view of their prisoner that he had managed to catch again. The atmosphere notably turned into something tense and heart-racing, unlike the one that surrounded Kisame and Sakura when they were idly joking with one another.

But now learning about how Sakura and Itachi were once together—in whatever way that may have been—from Ryuu, and the fact that he had enough of her trust that hitting her caught her off guard, Kisame could finally make out why everything is always stiff around the two. It wasn't a sudden kiss from a handsome guy that threw her off during the fight at the chuunin exam, but a sudden kiss from a forbidden lover. And now they stood face to face as ex-lovers where one was engaged and another had screwed a slut and left the other to listen.

Kisame felt more awkward around Itachi than usual.

In the dim light of the hallway, they could make out the way her barefoot bounced from the edge of the bed and the lining of her nose. She was still staring at where the flame had been, maybe debating the idea to the light it up again or cause the whole room to suddenly combust—who knew. But she wasn't looking at either of them now, not when Kisame set the whole situation up to be tense by reminding her of the destruction that destroyed her small sense of peace.

"How is everyone?"

Sakura's question was greeted with the deafening silence that washed through with Itachi's presence. If Kisame hadn't caught the way Sakura had turned her face to stare at him, he may had not came to the conclusion that Itachi wasn't answering because the question wasn't directed towards him. It should've made sense, no one strikes up a conversation with Uchiha Itachi just for fun and because he was a social butterfly.

He could tell her that the boat ride back without her brother, her, or Karin was one hell of a joy ride. They were sure they were lost at sea with no one to control the currents, and that they would've been dead from "friend attack" if Itachi, Kakashi, and Neji hadn't kept them in place. He could tell her how there were still searches for her going on, or how Orochimaru was pleased that she was gone. But no one could blame him when she threaten to "fucking end" him if he tried whatever that was.

"The blonde one's a little noisy, almost torn apart the castle looking for you." He said instead, deciding it was better to not cause anymore trouble. She may be a little sweetheart now, but she could still kill without batting and eyelash with a temper that hadn't changed since she was thirteen.

The corners of her mouth curved and she nodded, expecting no less from the number one hyperactive shinobi of the Hidden Leader Village. "Yeah, that's Naruto for you. You're gonna have one hell of a time _trying_ to capture him."

Kisame said nothing, being cornered with nothing left in response to that statement. Was he suppose to agree that they would have one hell of a time trying to capture her friend, or was he suppose to deny that they would try anymore because of the alliance?

"Leader has allowed you to wander freely through the base, as before." Itachi said evenly, and she hummed. Scurrying to her feet slowly, she allowed the kimono to set in place. It still didn't fit her in the traditional sense, but no one was complaining about the way which it did.

Kisame thought she would pass them both without saying a single word. But as the bottom of her kimono brushed over his toes, he notice how it remained there a little too long. Turning to the back of a head full of pink that left a third of Itachi's face uncovered, he saw how the Uchiha's gaze softened.

"Nothing will ever be like before." She whispered, leaving with that soft gaze because the second Kisame saw his full face was the second a deathly glare chilled his bones.

* * *

There was no surprise when members starting popping up by the pair, slowly filling the base with laughter, alcohol, food, and filth. After a glare or two, and the intervention of Sakura preserving the cleanliness of the base, they were whipped into shape before Pein or Konan had returned. In her wake, trash was thrown out instead of littered and dishes were placed into the sink instead of left to pile up at the table.

Though edgy, she had careless conversations with them if she wasn't yelling at them to clean up after themselves. And with Pein not around for the first couple of days, they careless interacted with her. But by the end of the week, Sakura wasn't out and about as much anymore. She came down to grab something from the fridge and went in and out of the bathroom, but like she knew it would get them killed she neither spoke nor made eye contact with anyone.

Pink and Orange had crossed path more than once since her return, but like she ignored the other members, she ignored him. There wasn't a single indication that she made this deal with him, leaving many to question if it ever even happened. Did they go behind the village's back and make a deal with one another—did they talk—before?

Their actions made that thought barely possible.

Four years and counting, that single fight full of tears, punches, and door slamming still irritably persisted. However, that fear and obedience Pein hung over their heads while within the base was weakening with the way Sakura had grown. She was no longer this weak child whom many presume couldn't stand her own without the big bad leader there to protect her, but nearly a woman who could do more than stand her own, but make them bow.

Their authority was unstable, yet distributed among the two sub-consciously.

If she could withstand years of being ridiculed by village elders and endure the shit Toji put her through, Akatsuki was nothing more than a minor inconvenience. There was no hesitation when she wanted something, no mid-thought when she needed to speak with someone. There was this confident aura that surrounded her which firmly imprinted in their brains that she was not backing down no matter the case, and their ability of intimidation was child's play. Though ten times her body mass, all she needed to do was send a cold glance and they would shrivel up—or so she made it seem.

There was nothing to fear, but fear itself. What had she to lose now that she chose—without a threat—to sell her soul to devils themselves? Third time's the charm, they say, and this being her third time selling herself out, they had a feeling she wouldn't be slipping away as easily as the time before.

When the time came to extract the demon and kill her, she wouldn't stop them, they knew.

She agreeded to this whole-heartedly.

How it was with Toji and how it was now differed in various ways. One, she formulated this plan, two, she traded nothing she wasn't willing to lose, and three, she didn't lose herself mentally or emotional. She wasn't angry, she wasn't silent, she was socially acceptable. Hell, she was more playful than she was when she was thirteen, and if anything, they figured she was still in mid-celebration over the death of the vile man. It was one thing dealing with an anal leader, but they weren't sure if they could handle and equally anal demon-container.

This mid-celebration wouldn't last long.

Staring up at the ceiling, her mind was left to wander aimlessly through banks of memories and rivers of thoughts. Many things happened over the last couple of years, but left to think even more than she had the two weeks with words triggering subsurface memories, there was so much more to recall. Her fight with Pein and if it was really worth putting out the effort to ignore him. Or, if it was worth forgiving him.

Three days since Pein returned and they hadn't so as much as a word to one another. Sometimes she swore it looked like he wanted to say something, but then he stops and continues walking like he hadn't even seen her. Standing by him in the base reminded her of the things he said to her while Ami was around, the way he treated her like she was extendable, and the way his knuckle connected with her face.

It wasn't so much that she regretted her decision to return to Akatsuki, but being around Pein made her restless. She wanted an apology, she wanted to apologize, and at the same time she itched for a reason to fight with him. Just to release some old steam and settle things once and for all.

Sensing his presence missing from the kitchen, her body rolled until her feet touched the ground. Bare feet tip-toed down the stairs and through the living room before setting on cold, white tiles. Inside was no other than Kisame, sitting at the table with some of the other members and sake bottles.

"That's a wedding kimono, not a robe, princess." He grinned, seeing the way it was left open to a tank top and short, spandex shorts.

Sending him a look, she pulled it more securely over her bare shoulder and legs. Her eyes rolled for emphasis and she smirked one of her mischievous smirks.

"Thanks for letting know, Fishie-chan, I would oh so completely lost without you."

"You'll also get fat if all you do is eat and sleep."

Peeping over the fridge her eyes narrow dangerously. Inwardly flinching but outwardly smiling, even in his alcoholic blurred mind, he knew he was in big trouble for that comment on her weight. His gut began to twist and churn, swishing back and forth the acid and Sake nervously as he prepared for a black-out and wake of bruises and cuts.

"That, I was perfectly aware of, thanks." She muttered, standing from the fridge with nothing in her hand. Instead of the empty hand aiming for his pretty blue face, it reached for the delicate fingers of her hand. "And here, Kakuzu, you can sell this."

The golden band which once sealed her relationship status and fate flew from her fingers and into the palm of a very happy man. She hadn't even looked at him and did nothing else to show she knew he stood in the room. Green eyes flashed back and forth from between the bottles on the table, debating her next move like she always done since the day she left Akatsuki.

She needed to get out of there.

Red flashed with her one-eighty turn and she weaved passed the man still holding her gold band to be stopped by another. Blocking the doorway was Hidan, hair still slicked back like the way she recalled it to be four years ago. No mind was paid to the sadist throughout his stay in Konoha, but now standing directly in front of her, she couldn't help but acknowledge him and the way he blocked the only path back to her room.

With the way his hand gripped each side of the doorframe while standing with his legs apart, she could squeeze in an awkward way to get by him. But giving the effort it would take, he would be able to stop her before she got her other leg through.

"And what do I get, kitty?" Said man asked hoarsely. His lips rested beside her ear to send a warm, moist breath that may have caused her to shiver if she wasn't so angry.

Kisame half-mumbled, half-laughed in the background. Something along the lines of amusement of Sakura's behalf and a warning for Hidan. And he had every right and good intention to do so.

Leaning back slightly, one eye-brow was quirked in question while she pursed her lips in anticipation. Having no grounds as a member, ripping Hidan's head off wasn't so much of an option—although it was a really good one. With no even grounds with Pein, she wasn't sure if defending herself was a good enough excuse for him. She hated the idea of being inferior to anyone, hence the reason why she and Pein didn't get along so well to begin with, but it wasn't something she could argue with now that she really was a prisoner and inferior to Hidan on top of that—technically speaking.

The excuse that Hidan enjoyed it may allow her to get away with though.

Tilting her head sideways and leaning close enough that her breath fluttered across his lips, she smirked while Kisame leaned and turned to catch a glance of the action over Kakuzu's shoulder.

"Don't confuse me with Ami." She whispered, launching her fingers up and between them when he came in for the killing. "You'll regret it."

If only her hand known what a single finger could do, he wouldn't be smirking against it in the way that he did. Though she could blow a hole through his brains, she only pushed him back with it and took a step forward to come toe to toe with him again.

"Still a feisty little thing, aren't cha?"

She chuckled as she shrugged. The brownie points weren't earned as she had hoped, and when she pressed forward she ended up pressing her whole front into him. She hoped he would move and make things less complicated than it already did. There was a room upstairs waiting for her to hide in, just for her to avoid another tense encounter with a man that to this day she woul still refuse to called _Leader-sama._

"Hidan."

_Too late,_ she groaned.

Hidan made a face at the sound of his name, and twisting his body, he squeezed passed her to sit at the other end of the table. Left in the doorway was only two childhood so-called best friends, where one decided it wasn't in her taste to fight with him to see who would get through first.

Without a seconds notice, she walked through before he could take another step. She would argue with herself that he only called the Jasinist out because he wanted to get through, and not save her ass, but both options wasn't too fitting for her taste.

"I can take care of myself, thanks." She grunted, breaking the thick ice that formed between them. "I don't need your help like I didn't need it when I was fighting Toji."

Which wasn't true at all, she needed his help more than anything that night, and was given it much too late. If it wasn't for the last minute desire to protect and live—and Toji's ridiculous delusional rant—she was sure so many would've died that night. He sat back and watched until her agonizing scream pierced his soul and begged him to help, but by then Neko had taken over and dealt with the problem. He was late because he was still testing waters.

In the ways Kisame sometimes looked at her as if asking for forgiveness, and in the way Deidara sheepishly glances at her with bits of guilt told her that even they knew she needed their help. Not that she would've asked for it aloud at the time—the whole matter was they were there to offer it, but Pein wouldn't allow them. It was stupid really, and she wouldn't mind laughing out loud if he was angry that she killed Toji. If Toji had become an Akatsuki member, it would be a one man thing were he would overthrow Pein soon enough. Recruiting him would do more damage than good, like recruiting Ami did.

Sakura wasn't sure if he understood that, but maybe he understood something from the way she glared at him.

* * *

In the moments she woke-up that morning and realize she was still tired from doing nothing after sleeping for twelve hours, a sudden fear jolted her up and to the training arena. In the awakening of her fear, layers of stone crumbled by the punches and kicks of frustration. Even if death would soothe her soon, heaven forbid she fall out of shape before then.

Weeks of doing absolutely nothing but slugging her body mass around left her feeling exhausted after a couple hours of demolishing earth. With no one daring to challenge her in a spare or send her out on lengthy missions, she could feel her body adapting to an easy life of doing nothing, when her mind told her she should do something. There was her loss of strength, stamina and speed to worry about. They weren't useful in hell, but she still had time to change her mind about dying this soon.

With one more swing of her fist, another couple meters were added to the not-so-small area, and she was down for the count. Sliding down the rough wall, she panted and growled to sound much like the angry animal within her. She was too young to be this low in energy.

Akatsuki wasn't to blame entirely for her weakened state. After coming back to Konoha, she could already feel herself slowly lacking in stamina. Assassinations were easier while under the protection of Konoha than they were when travelling with Toji. With efficiency came of carrying out missions came the little use of her power in its entirety.

"Damn, I need a cigarette." She groaned, smacking her lips together and grazing her teeth over her tongue.

Hiding her face in her folded arms, she sighed in defeat. No one within Akatsuki smoked, knowing that something such as that would damage their body and path towards strength. She knew better than to ask any one of them to run the errand for her and bitterly wished Shikamaru was there to smuggle her in some boxes.

To hide it from Naruto and Ryuu, most of her packs were hidden at the Hokage's office, the training grounds, and on Shikamaru. In exchange for covering the habit she was suppose to quit two years ago, he was allowed access to her packs, thus a friendship begun on poor habits. It wasn't an inconspicuous act to say the least, considering they were on the same ANBU squad. But no one dared to question the lazy-genius on it, and no one wanted to break their make-believe idea that she stopped.

To this day she was sure Naruto still believed she didn't smoke anymore, and in that she could only find some sense of amends for her decision to betray him. That in everything she's ever done, she could be reflect on making Naruto happy somehow—even if with a lie.

She could've drowned in her guilt and fallen asleep then and there if it hadn't been for the opening and closing of the repaired doorway. Though she faithlessly hoped the person would turn and leave once they realized it her her, her recognition of that chakra signature firmly explained they weren't.

Indulgently she peeked from her arms to see him once he stopped moving. Prepared to see him about ready to attack her, she somehow wasn't surprise that he just stood there and stared at her with an unreadable expression—to anyone else. Behind his gaze held curiosity and grief about something she didn't know about, and feeling slightly annoyed that he didn't shift uncomfortable under her gaze as she tried to suppress herself from doing so under his, she asked, "What do you want, Uchiha?"

"You asked for this." He replied evenly while his eyes flickered over his defenseless form.

She stood quickly and readied herself to dodge an attack he would send her way. But when they both just stood there and stared at each other, she came to terms with the fact that he wasn't warning her of his attack ahead of times, but making her recall something much worse. Mocking her almost.

"I didn't ask for this life."

There was a force calmness in her voice that she knew he didn't miss, but at the same time, felt no shame for showing it. Was she to lie and say she was delighted in returning after putting time, energy, and nearly her life and the life of others in order to escape Akatsuki firm grasps? Evidently, her past ridiculous events stated otherwise, even if she found herself here.

"Yet you asked me to cover for you while you ran and hid here." He retorted, rendering her mind to the memories of that windy day in Snow where they made their deal with a promise like they were children again.

She didn't know why things turned out the way it did between them now, but she liked to believe it was because she was merely overwhelmed with happiness that Toji was finally dead and Ren was alive.

Watching him grow in size as he came closer, her body remained absolutely still. Lowering his face to her, he had expected her to turn away. Instead he was force to do so when she stubbornly refused, and as his lips grazed the shell of her ear—pulling no sort of reaction to his dismay—he whispered, "Don't make choices if you will regret them."

Sakura leaned away and turned her head to glare at his simplified preaching. She hadn't expected someone who felt no remorse to understand her life wasn't as simple as yes or no, but what she didn't anticipate more that they were arrogant enough to feel that they could lecture her about it. Though she should've, this was Uchiha Itachi after-all.

The ground beneath them rumbled, and with the quaking came sharp rocks which distant him from her. Standing on no grounds to lecture her—except for the ones that would get him killed—his presence came to be more annoying than it originally was. How it was she brought herself to regards him as an ally and friend over a month ago was something her mind could no longer surface.

"I don't think Leader would appreciate a dead member." She warned, although knowing she was giving him the reaction he knew would prove him to be victorious.

As children he enjoyed teasing her until she gave and blushed, shouted, or whatever amused him during those given times. They were random acts that showed he was affectionate, but now she was positive that it was to show that he had power over her. That he knew how to get what he wanted out of her, and that as of now she was playing into his hands.

It was a continuous game with them that was never really officially declared, but she found herself playing that with everyone—another unhealthy habit. Maybe she should've felt grateful because that was what gave her the will to never back down or give-up to anyone, or maybe she shouldn't because she sometimes found herself holding her pride as high as these men held theirs.

Her reactions were no longer blushes or exclaims of embarrassment, and the attackers were no longer friends who only wanted just that. Life gets a whole let deadlier once you grow older, that even if their childhood was a detour through hell and out, she preferred that than what it was now. No longer a detour, they were staying for the rest of their lives.

The look in his eye told her he didn't believe her, but a part of her already knew that. Instead, he grunted, his lips curving at her empty threat.

"You're weak, weeping about the suffering of others." His said in a factual sense, glancing at her hands as they clenched and unclenched once she became aware of it. Staring into her red and spinning eyes, he sneered. "Am I to believe you could ever bring yourself to kill me? You would weep over that as well."

It wasn't entirely false, but she didn't want him to give him the triumph of feeling right. In all honesty, she probably wouldn't cry for him during the first day or two, not when the whole ordeal wouldn't have registered in her brain. But she would expect herself to eventually break down and cry for him, a small part of guilt and old friendship lighting her emotions.

Would he know that? No. If she brought herself to kill him she would do so with a menacing smirk on her face as he took his last breath. That's the face he would die seeing, and in his very last moments he would feel nothing but regret and worthlessness like he made her feel.

Then he would haunt her for the rest of her life.

"Only weak people feel the need to make others feel weak to make themselves feel better." She breathed, the word "weak" sending her back to the time where he he described her just as that before punching her. Before she could look at him and see him instead of Fugaku.

Why make her last few days a living hell? Because he wanted to know that he could. Because he felt like it. Because Uchiha Itachi wanted to see the extent of his influence and power over a girl who was nearly, if not already, evenly match with his leader.

She lost count of how many times she fell a victim to men who felt like they could get away with anything when it was sure as hell that they couldn't. If she had to beat that into their heads physically, then so be it.

It Itachi didn't duck like he had, his head may have came off with that chakra infused kick. She was suddenly on him like a cat on a mouse. But where one animal description fit one, the other made him wary of his decision to ignite that flame within her when she was in such a bitter mood. He didn't like being on the other end of the game of cat and mouse, where even when he was pursued he ended up playing that cat that took down armies of mice. It sent all his sense on high alert.

Maybe he pushed her too far this time.

"Fuck you, Uchiha, for everything you put me through." She growled, her fist blowing another hole through the wall which shook the base for the hundredth time that day. As her earlier imitation of earthquake brought speculators, the sudden aftershock did so as well. Seeing that she was no longer training on her own, some stayed to watch.

What they assumed to be a spar looked too personal and deadly. Her anger could be seen as more than the frustration from just facing off with an Uchiha—which Kisame has personally experienced many times—and the challenge alone looked to be taken much more seriously than any normal spar.

"For rescuing me from a girl who used to torment me as a kid, and then to fuck her so she could torment me while I lived here." She shouted again, sending shards and boulders his way.

Itachi's body worked quick to dodge them, understanding now that even Neko didn't want to protect him like she protected Pein the day Sakura tried to escape. The spar/training turned to be her fiercely attacking, while he dodged in order to save his life. He figured he had it coming, but he hadn't figured she would rise up so quickly.

The fatigue that had possessed her body was overthrown by anger suppressed for years. The minute she calmed down would be when she wouldn't be able to stand anymore—but that wouldn't be possible when seeing his face brought upon so much fury.

Sakura landed a punch to his stomach, and what would've left a bruise on his abdomen left a bruise on her knuckles, and pieces of rock flying in every direction. Spinning around from where his substitution was, she noted how even he was heaving from constantly dodging her attacks. She wanted his attacks. She wanted a battle. She wanted to taste a bit of justice for the path he put her on.

And man, did that sound so familiar to Sasuke.

"I didn't ask for you to save me that day in the park! I didn't ask to meet you, so you can train me, make me fall in love with you, then fuck me over when it suited you!"

Her body went up in a whirlpool of red and orange, the anger which fueled her energy easily seen in the intensity of the fire. Then there was that look in her eyes again. Intense anger and determination were easily seen, but in between the flickering of flames he could make-out the small specks of sadness and betrayal.

Deidara's mouth opened to make a comment about her statement, but decided against it once Sakura started dancing. He thought punching her was as personal as their relationship went, but neither of them had an indication that there was anything beyond the few months which she stayed with them. Though he wasn't sure how it even got passed most of them, seeing the close friendship she had with his younger brother and that they were of the same village.

But they never showed it once, and no one suddenly jumps to the conclusion that Uchiha Itachi would get himself involved with anyone—especially not with Haruno Sakura who was everything he wasn't at the time. And no one ever thought they would live to see him in a petty relationship fight either, but this fight was for from petty, it may be one of the biggest threats Sakura ever made on the organization.

She may just kill Uchiha Itachi.

All suspicion of their relationship should've died and sparked the night Itachi slept with Ami. Sakura did come into Deidara's room after being disturbed by the noise, and she was notably down that night. Of course, so much more was going on before then. Itachi and Sakura were simply too discrete for anyone to clue in until Ryuu had said something to them a few weeks ago.

They could've gone their whole lives not knowing a single thing.

Either they were sparing themselves the embarrassment or Itachi's life, but even so, from this standpoint it was obvious to see that in those little acts that connection was still there. Now it all came out in a whirl of fire and growls—as if Sakura fighting with Pein wasn't bad enough.

The fight between them now brought in more than Deidara ever imagined possible—more than he was sure Pein would tolerate. Right then he wasn't sure Pein's intervention would be a good one; if it was better to let Sakura deal with Itachi or let Pein do so.

As her body danced and her arms shot in the direction Itachi was always in, strings, balls, and waves of fire came his way. If how hard she worked him already didn't cause him to perspire before, then hit from the flames he barely dodges surely would.

"So your father could beat me black and blue because I wanted to protected _you_, and so I could take care of your brother because you asked me to! Only for the village to suspect me of murdering your family, only for you to punch me, and for Sasuke to hate me because I didn't want him to kill you!" The ground beneath them crumbled, and what was left were upturned dirt and blood. "I didn't ask for you in my life!"

Kunai on kunai, Itachi got a good taste of her speed. Coming into the battle bare of any weapons, she managed to pull one from his holster. Though he couldn't find himself completely surprised by it. Up close she could kill him instant—in fact, she could've killed him from the beginning with the blood-controlling technique. But she proved that she didn't want it easy way.

She never made things easy for him, even as a mere child.

Standing so close that their breaths flushed each other's skin, he could see the way her body glistened with sweat. The way her eyes were rimmed in red. And the way the skin on her knuckles were leaking blood onto their kunais when she hadn't even made contact with him.

Maybe that was the sign he had been waiting for, one he already knew. That fighting with her would only cause her to fight back harder, inflicting pain on herself and everything around her, but him. Guilt tugged at him before it subsided by his conscious. Wasn't that the reason why he was here to begin with?

"You want to see strong?" She pressed, spinning their weapons skillfully enough to twist his wrist until her released and both weapons launched into the wall. "I'll fucking kill you if that makes me strong!"

Her intentions were clear once a bloody fist came his way. Actually, they were clear the minute the battle started. She wanted the end this with on her own accord, that using the Sharigan was out of the question. That she could do this without his help, that she never needed him in the first place. Neko had been used minimally. Neko had been taught to be controlled by him after all.

Every part of her wanted to end this affair and severe her connection to him, and every ounce of him wouldn't have it.

No longer running, the fist aim for his face was held securely in the air. Skipping their poor game of mercy, his other hand rested on her neck and pulled her forward. Closing her eyes out of instinct, she had to hold herself from opening them once his lips collided with hers. The expected quick kiss that was to force her eyes open turned into the kinds where lover's closed their eyes in passion.

_Not this again,_ Kisame inwardly groaned, unaware that the pinkette was thinking the exact same thing.

With one arm trapped between their bodies, she pushed forward to separate them enough for her to breathe. He stared down at her with this sincere look that she refused to believe was real. After years of deception, she couldn't give up to him so easily. Her legs felt like buckling and her arms were equivalent to noodles. Even if all four limbs were useless, Sakura wouldn't accept this. Not when he pulled the exact same shit on her four years ago

"I told you before you can't just do that in the middle of a battle!"

He seemed to flinch, but whether it was from her words or the volume of her voice only he would know. There was that look on her face again, the same one when he wrapped his arms around her during the chuunin exam and she was left put on the spot to make the "right" decision. Itachi couldn't say he didn't know she regretted the one she made during that time, and to this day was well aware that it haunted her. She gave up everything over a belief he screwed into her brain, and within her first awakening, the very thing that kept her going was shattered by his own selfishness.

"You can't just fuck me and leave whenever you feel like it, I'm not Ami!"

If things weren't as they were, he may have stopped her then and there and ask her how she could still remember it and make it so important. The last few years of his life had been this one big blur full of blood, sex, and anger, that something as little as screwing the once Akatsuki slut hardly registered in his mind anymore.

Since she came back to life, she never once made that issue as important as she did now. There was nothing awkward between the three of them that it made him believe she let it slide, and her anger was focus on Pein alone.

How could she still be burdening this on top of everything else?

Pressing her body closely to his, he didn't leave much room for her arms and legs to resist him. His large hand pulled her face against her shoulder and in a low whisper, he tried to calm her.

"Enough, Sakura." He told her, sighing as his body slightly relaxed against hers.

However, a couple of sweet words in a silky voice wouldn't be enough for her this time. He felt her hands on his back and sides, clawing and pushing at them with little strength, but she would still fight him in death. He knew he well enough to know that she was a fighter.

"Don't tell me—"

"I said enough." His was harsher this time, coming out in almost a growl, but it did the trick.

Being partnered with Itachi for years, Kisame could count on one hand the many times the Uchiha had raised his voice like that. One, when he was yelling at Sakura on that seduction mission, and two, when he yelled at Sakura just then. That wasn't saying much for anyone else, but this wasn't anyone else, this was Uchiha Itachi. The man who was as composed as the Leader himself, and even with the leader they were holding their breaths for the day he would lose his cool and raise his voice. Sakura got him angry enough that he lost his self control and almost punched her—though he ended up actually do so months later, intentionally—it would only be in time that he started screaming like a child.

"Don't compare yourself to someone like her. And don't compare me to someone like Toji." His voice was hoarse as he demanded and pleaded with her, pulling away to see what she would say to it.

It looked like she was crumbling, the way she was smiling and frowning at the same time. But her body suddenly shook and she let out a laugh, shaking her head and looking at him with the same pity she wore for Toji.

"Every single one of Akatsuki is like my fiancee one way or another. You put your pride above everyone and everything else, and would stop at nothing, spare no one, if it meant getting the power and satisfaction you seek." There was this bitter smile on her face, making her appear as though she was wavering into insanity as she spoke.

They figured she hadn't even sense them with how caught up she was, but even if she had Kisame couldn't bring himself to even be half-angry with that statement. She hadn't missed a single point. One way or another—even if they didn't want to believe it—they held many similarities to that bastard. They all wanted the same thing, and if by chance they met another girl who could grant them what they wanted, who was the say they wouldn't follow the same procedures?

"You're selfish like him. You love no one but yourself like him. You don't know what it's like to love someone so much that you would die for them. You don't know what it's like sacrifice yourself for anyone because you made sure you had no one to sacrifice yourself for."

Itachi's brows twitched in confusion, wanting to furrow and raise all at once at her statement. She had known of his plan the whole time, and tolerated to the point where she allowed him what he wanted. There was so much betrayal in her eyes that made him grieve for her trust and the emotions that spurred with it.

She didn't fight him—she allowed him the happiness he though in needed in the midst of her despair.

"He sacrificed nothing by hurting me! Nothing by making me bargain off my soul so that he could have power!" The strong voice cracked and her red eyes moistened. "He lost nothing of himself—so you tell me what makes you different from him. What did you lose on that quest for power of yours?"

His throat had gone dry and his stomach fluttered with the anxiety he never knew he had. This was what he was waiting for, the point where he would prove himself different and correct the mistakes he _had _to admit that he made. Angry at himself for chickening out at the last moment, he had to resort to what pulled him through the agonizing years of severing from his morals, emotions, and personal wants.

_I'm an Uchiha, _he reminded himself, shutting his eye briefly to digest the information. _We don't chicken. _

Opening his eyes again, he took in her face with all sweat, scars, and tears aside. He observed her maturity since the last time he saw her—truly saw her—at the chuunin exam. Her little nose, her dulling eyes, and high cheek bones. She wasn't that little girl anymore who would pout and puff her cheeks or had innocent and curious eyes every time she looked his way. She didn't go sticking her nose into everything, but instead her whole being with she felt that it was necessary.

And on top of that, she lost the warmth and gentle gaze.

That's what a warrior was, but deep down he knew he was disappointed. She had harden herself by his doing and if he had never treated her so poorly as he had, maybe things would've been easier for the both of them. Sure, she may still be emotionally weak and mentally unstable—but who was to say she wasn't like that now? The only substantial improvement he observed over their last three missions was that she just knew how to suppress and push all emotions aside.

But once she exploded, she exploded. And that would get her killed faster than the emotions she allowed to leak through in her younger years.

Taking a deep breath, he muttered a quiet, "You."

Sakura's barely covered chest was still rapidly rising and lowering, but in all she stopped squirming against him. She stared at him with eyes so sad and disappointed it could swallow him whole, but she smiled again—that bitter, bitter smile that Itachi knew he deserved instead of forgiveness.

Did he think she hadn't heard all of this before? Did he believe she never had her hope risen by a couple of sweet words then have her whole world cave in with lies? He should've known god-damn well she had been through this shit all before—even he hadn't granted her any mercy in her early years. Now that she had been there and done that with Toji, facing a consequence more severe than a simple heart-break, she wasn't willing to play that card again.

The only thing she had to lose was herself, and she was only willing to lose it to death.

"Ugh!" Someway, somehow, she managed to wiggle her arm between them and take a fist full of his shirt. Pushing him back far enough, her other arm swung to collide with his define cheekbone, serving him up the medicine he delivered to her. "You can't pull yourself out of the hole you dug yourself into just like that."

The Uchiha in him wanted to compose himself enough to contain his balance from the impact, but it was the Uchiha in him that got to where he was now. Instead of skillfully digging his heel into the ground and balance himself, he allowed himself to fall from her weak punch that did him enough justice to only leave a bruise.

_No, _he mused, he really couldn't get out of this alone.

This was a two way street headed one direction for so long.

All Deidara could mutter was a "Kami", almost wanting to deny reality all together. Itachi took that attack head on with no desire of defense and on top of that, the elegance in him disappear and he landed flat on his ass. He may have laughed if it wasn't such an extraordinary and terrifying sight to witness and swallow. Not that Itachi had been hit, but how evidently he valued Sakura.

Enough to swallow his pride and get knocked down by a woman, and no doubt he knew there was an audience.

Dark eyes stared back at an impossibly darker green pair, ignoring the way her hand bunched up around his neck again and she reeled her arm back for another blow. Kisame knew better than to get involved in the young Uchiha's business, but was that jerk really gonna sit there and just take what Sakura was throwing his way? With years of partnership, Itachi had backed down to no one but Leader. But he figured that this was an exception on Sakura's behalf, the girl did have a way of getting away with murder around here.

"I need your help." After rolling that sentence around on his tongue, it took everything within him to say it aloud. It wasn't as devastating to him as he thought it would be. In fact, it was like a heavy burden had been lifted off his shoulder. Even with his ego bruised and his pride hurt, the yearning heart of his was healing in the process.

The arm pulled behind her head lowered slightly, and she lifted her head to stare down at him in disbelief before her face flashed with anger again. No, she wouldn't fall for this again. Her heart wasn't going to take anymore abuse. Who she was angry at was unclear, however. There was this part of her that was angry at him, but a larger piece was angry at herself for being so naive.

_Never again. _

"I d—"

Even with a firm voice, the flickering of her eyes told him enough. In half a second he had her hand free from his shirt and in the other half he was invading her personal space again. If she wasn't stunned by his request before, she must've been now. Standing so still with their face so close, all she did was peek at him from beneath her long lashes.

Like she did when they were younger and she pretended that he wasn't getting to her. He used to find her tactics amusing, but now all he could see in them was hope. If she had to resort to her old ways of dealing with him, it must mean he was affecting her the very same ways as well. There wasn't any other explanation for it.

"I'm asking you to help me." His voice remain in a whisper, but this time she found her effected. He wasn't fighting her anymore, and it had been exactly what she wanted a while ago. But that was exactly it, she wanted this a long time ago, but she couldn't say she wanted it anymore. Not sincerely and not surely. If she didn't want it, then why was she still so hurt by not receiving it all those years ago.

It shouldn't hurt anymore.

Her eyes shut when his hand rose to cup her face, allowing the tears to fall this time. She felt his breath on her lips, and out of habit licked hers, but made no attempt to stop what she knew was coming, what would soon be inevitable. She was tired of fighting.

"Help me, Sakura." Her lips parted to meet his, returning the desperation she knew he would never admit aloud, but could taste within this kiss.

Kisame may have whistled at the couple, but a sudden pressure and blazing chakra told him it was better to pretend he didn't support this share of affection if he wanted to keep his life.

Pulling away, he still saw the uncertainty in her eyes—but that was hidden under layers, and layers of silent joy and small smile. But in a minute it was gone, her eyes wide and her lips curved into an "O" before she was quickly pulled to the other side of the lengthy training arena. Black consumed her vision, and before the murder of crows even disbursed, she already knew who was responsible.

A small taste of happiness was enough for Sakura, but she wanted more if she knew she could pull more. Happiness was something she hadn't felt in a long while, and from time to time she had mistaken relief for the difficult emotion.

The only thing she was certain about was that she lacked the feeling because she allowed others to control it and hang it over her head teasingly. They made her want it and want it, made her believe it was possible, but when she reached for it they would pull it away. And the sad part was that she just sat there and stared at it and stared at them like it would do anything. She would let them prance around her in a large circle, closing it and making her believe it was within reach once again before the quickly jerked away like a fox.

And orange fox.

This time she's going to take a hold on what was rightfully hers, and let go when she wants to.

Blowing her fist into the ground again, the unsteadiness of his footing stopped Pein's attack on Itachi momentarily. Momentarily was enough for her to pull herself up and stand in front of Itachi protectively—thank the lord he was alright. Only in a slight bit of shock, he still managed to stand by holding himself up with the rocky walls. But the slight tightening of her muscle told her that his injuries would be much worse than hers, but it wasn't something she couldn't handle.

"Step aside."

His demand was returned with demonic glare, and before he could even think about throwing her out of the way again, his whole body constricted the sudden entry of demon chakra. Forcefully lowered to his knees, Sakura didn't miss the cue of lowering his head to the ground either, perfectly educated on where his power leaks through. If he wanted a second round, the compressed dirt would be his opponent.

Sweaty palms rubbed at a blue face, believing that this was it; Sakura was going to kill Leader. Everyone knew she had the ability to do so, and a bit of a motivation to act on the thought. Either way Kisame knew it was way too early to get too excited about it, but damn was it exhilarating.

"Sakura." Pein gasped and feeling the pressure within his body lighten just slightly. Enough for him to get to his knees, he willed against Neko to lift his head to look at a displeased demon container. Her eyes glowed a blue he had seen many times, but this time, they were flickering red from time to time, threatening in a way they never had in the past.

"You can't just stand by to watch me die at the hands of my fiancee one day and attack a man who kisses me another day." Her tone was flat, stating it though it no longer stirred some emotion within her. The betrayal from him was nothing new to her, and that bitter seed he planted in her didn't allow her to feel much hope that he would interfere during their battle.

He may have been angry during their campfire story of how she came to met Toji, but his desire for power betrayed them both. That was the different between Pein and Itachi she had subtly noticed after that one mission, that Itachi was the genius who learned quickly, while Pein needed more nudging. Who knew when he would understand how to treat her? It obviously wasn't now or anytime soon.

Sometimes she wondered if she asked for too much; for them to make exceptions to their way of living, ninja ways, and "manly-hood" on her behalf. The doubt in her made her feel selfish for requesting such a foolish thing. She just needed to accept it.

But within these few moments Itachi had proven that it wasn't much to ask for at all if she was asking the right people. The wrong people were those she shouldn't and didn't need in her life. If she could put certain people above her than it was only fair that she expect them do the same for her.

"You're the idiot who left." He growled, trying harder to push himself up before all at once, Neko released him.

"A man who chose a slut and power over the girl who he supposedly cares for doesn't have the right to call the same girl who chose a man willing to swallow his pride an idiot." She scowled, her face twisting into a sneer and her head tilted back so she could hold some luxury of looking down on him. "You need redefine your definition of child and idiot because I'm not any of those, while you fit the description perfectly, Leader-sama."

She'd make him understand this time.

* * *

**I'm so sorry for the delay. I know it's been a month and if I'm honest, it's because I stay up late reading fanfics, falling behind in sleep and school, and therefore, cutting back on the time I have to write. This month has honestly been this big blur to me that the only things I remember since the beginning of April was writing a few tests, walking home in the rain once, and going on a whole bunch of field trips and shopping spree. It just all whoosh passed me so fast that it felt like a life-time ago. **

**Again, I'm sorry for the delay. **

**But there you have it, Itachi and Sakura are finally back together again after almost a decade. Hoped you enjoyed, although it is a little wordy...Things are changing since the last time Sakura was captured, especially how her relationships are handled. The story's almost over, only a few more chapters to go. **

**I don't own Naruto or any of its original characters.**

**xoxo**


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